When you first think and decide about becoming a foster parent it is the first step in something that will be very rewarding for you. By doing this you will be taking on the responsibility of caring for a child, either a baby or right through to one in their teenage years, until they can find a permanent home.
Due to the responsibility of looking after the welfare of a child you will want to make sure that you have properly researched into it before making a final decision. One way in which you can do this is by contacting a fostering agency who will be able to answer any question that you may have.
They will be able to tell you exactly what it means to become a foster parent and what you can expect when doing so. You will also be walked through each and every step it takes to become a carer so that you know exactly what to do and what to prepare for and so that there are no surprises.
It is important to first consider the allowances that you will be receiving. Although many do not consider this a job, there still needs to be money available so you can give the best possible chance to the child that you will be fostering. You will need to make sure that this is suitable for you before continuing.
The first step would be to have a talk with a social worker from your chosen agency who will ask your reasons for fostering, your home and family members living there and what you would expect from fostering. You are given time to digest this information and not expected to make a decision there and then.
You can talk through with the different types of foster care with them so you are able to decide which one would be the best for you. The different types of fostering to think of are sibling groups, parent and child, disabled children, intensive fostering and of course the mainstream fostering.
Great care is taken with every step, you are told about each part of becoming a foster parent and are able to ask any questions as you have to be sure that this is what you want to do before going any further to introducing a child into your life as this can greatly affect them.
Once you know all of the facts and you want to go ahead with this, you have to complete a Form F Assessment that goes through all discussed points along with you having to do a CRB check, previous employers and other relevant checks. You will have a social worker assigned to you who you can contact at any time.
This is a vital part as once all of this has been completed it will be passed to a fostering panel who will be approving or denying your application to become a foster parent. Do not get too downhearted if you do get denied as it is not the end, the fostering panel will give some changes to be made before you reapply.
The agency who you decided to use will be with you every step of the way and will inform the relevant bodies if you are approved and from this point will work with them in order to place a suitable child with you.
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