Don’t let those ‘ fostering myths’ put you off fostering!!

At present in the UK there are 91,000 children in the care of the local authority. Almost 62,000 of these ‘looked after children’ are in foster care and are looked after within a family home. However, the speed at which children and young people are coming into care means that by the end of 2013 it is predicted that 9,000 foster carers will need to be recruited to meet the need for stable placements within a nurturing family foster home. With 13% of those already approved as foster carers choosing to leave fostering each year there is now a recruitment crisis through the country.

Many people, when questioned will admit to having considered becoming a foster carer but have never taken any further steps to applying. What factors have prevented them from looking more seriously at this as an option?
A recent survey of 2,000 people identified that a large proportion of those questioned held some fundamental misconceptions about becoming a foster carer.

54% of those questioned believed that over 55’s are not eligible to foster, while 16% believed that single men would not be accepted a foster carers. A third of those questioned also believed that gay people would not be eligible to foster. So with so many people holding fundamentally incorrect beliefs about fostering what is the truth?

Who makes a good foster carer?

The truth is that there is no ‘perfect foster carer’. This is a ‘fostering myth’! Foster carers need to be recruited from diverse backgrounds in order to meet the different needs of the children and young people who come into the care system. It is important that carers have different values, skills and life experiences as every child needing a foster home has their own individual needs
There are a number of common myths about fostering:
You must be married to become a foster carer
•    Foster carers can be married/ single/ divorced. Neither is your sexuality relevant;  none of these are barriers  to applying to foster.
You must own your own home
•    You can become a foster carer whether you own or rent your home. What is important is that you have a level of financial stability.
You can be too old to foster
•    There is no age limit; what is important is that you are fit and well enough to deal with the demands of fostering and this will be assessed during your application
You have to have a full time job to become a foster carer.
•    Foster carers are given financial support and receive a foster carer salary which is made up of allowances for your foster child and a professional fee. Being unemployed and in receipt of benefits will not prevent you applying to foster.
You need previous experience of looking after children
•    This is not true. Some carers have worked in child care; others have not. Some have their own children and others do not. Previous experience is desirable but not essential; what is important is that you have sufficient life experience to draw on and be committed 100% to supporting your foster child.

The only real requirements to apply are that you have a spare room for your foster child and that you are physically/mentally fit to undertake the demands of the role.
Whether you are interested in fostering teenagers or babies; if you have a spare room, time, dedication and patience then you can apply to become a foster carer and change a child’s life for the better.