Everything You Need to Know about Being a Foster Carer

A Foster Carer is a person who provides a safe and caring home to children who do not have the opportunity of living with their birth families. These could be abandoned children, orphans, motherless babies or delinquents who have absconded from their homes for fear of being punished. This person simply looks after this kid or young person for an unspecified period of time. There are several kinds of foster carers: some foster carers take care of children in emergency situations until long-term formal arrangements can be made while others take care of children in the short run until they can return home or be relocated to a permanent home. Foster caring could take days, weeks, months or even years but most importantly, it lasts until a time when the child is old enough say 18 years. A foster carer could be an individual, private or government agency. An individual could choose to take in a child and care for this child as a loving parent would do or a foster carer could be someone who has been employed, accessed and trained by a fostering agency like The Bair Foundation.

There are certain requirements one has to meet in order to be considered a foster carer and they are:

• A foster carer should be capable of loving and providing for a child as any parent would.
• A foster parent should be able to provide support up to 24 hours for a child within her care.
• Foster parents should be capable of supporting both themselves and the child or children financially.
• A foster parent should fill and complete the application for a home license.
• A foster parent should pass the background check, full criminal background check and all adult members of the family must have their biometrics properly documented.
• A foster parent shouldn’t be less than 21 years of age.
• Foster parents should be capable of providing a physically and psychologically safe environment for the child.
• They should participate in the licensing and home study process of the child.

Job Description and Skills Needed in order to become a Foster Carer

Being a foster parent is a divine job just as parenting. Foster parents need to be aware of their job descriptions and the skills they need if they are to excel in this divine task. Below here are the job responsibilities and skills needed in order to be an effective foster carer:

• Provision of day-to-day care for the child, children or young person and you have to bear in mind that children who are separated from their parents need special attention. The necessary skills include:

• The ability to provide adequate care to children belonging to others.
• The ability to develop and maintain a positive parent-child relationship between yourself and the foster kid.
• The ability to prioritize your needs and the needs of the children, keeping in mind that their needs are most important.
• The ability to grow and promote the healthy development of a child in all ramifications includes but is not limited to the physical, psychological, physiological, educational and sexual well-being of the child.
• Provision of adequate and reliable information regarding the child’s understanding of his or her biological origin, religion, culture, ancestry, etc. The skills needed to perform this are:

• The ability to effectively communicate information to young people, taking into consideration their age and level of understanding.
• The ability to respect and willingness to learn of a child’s origin or information concerning the child no matter the kind of information.
• Active participation and implementation of productive plans concerning the child. Skills needed to involve:

• The ability to work effectively with child support or those who have family ties with the child to ensure the proper upbringing of the child.
• The ability to take responsibility for completing tasks concerning the child.
• Provision and promotion of health care services for the child. Required skills are:

• The ability to provide basic first aid treatment to a child should emergencies arise.
• The ability to instill a high level of personal hygiene in children and teach them to value their health; health is wealth.
• The ability to effectively report issues concerning the child’s health or health challenges to a qualified and well-trained health worker.
• Ensuring and provision of a safe and sound environment to keep the child safe from harm or abuse from other children, teenagers or adults. Necessary skills are:

• The ability to insure your safety and the safety of others.
• The ability to teach and discuss safety issues with children. This should include physical harm, abuse, molestation and emotional attacks.
• The ability to make and ensure the obedience of safety instructions in your home. Where necessary, you could reach out for help from a member of the foster care agency.
• The ability to convey information in the most understanding way that at the suspicion of any malicious or mischievous behavior exhibited by someone, the children should raise an alarm or seek for help and assistance immediately. 
• Advocacy and provision of emotional support for the child.

• The ability to communicate with children regarding their feelings and includes sex education.
• The ability to empathize, respect and share the child’s points of view; it’s basically acquiescing, you do not have to fully agree with the child.
• The ability to reach out to and maintain a positive relationship with professionals if the child needs more emotional support than you can provide. 
• Attendance in and actively participating in reviews, meetings, seminars, or even court hearings as they concern the child.

• The ability to have a positive listening attitude and attend all scheduled and appropriate meetings vis-à-vis the child. 
• The ability to express your thoughts and views at meetings and support the child or even chide where necessary.
• Handling of all confidential information concerning the child responsibly, as well as keeping well documented information concerning the child safe and teaching the child same.

Duties of a Foster Carer

1. You are to provide a conducive home for the child. This means basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing.
2. You are to enroll the child in an accredited institution of learning, as well as allow the child to take part in extracurricular activities like sports.
3. You are to pay all fees pertaining to the child’s education; have a sustainable means of income in order to do this.
4. You are to provide love, support and care for the child. 
5. You are to groom the child in character and in learning and ensure that the child becomes a credible asset to herself, the family and the society at large.
6. You are to allow the child to have access to family members, if any, at stipulated times.
7. Ensure that you learn and upgrade your skills at intervals as caring for a foster kid could have serious challenges.
8. Ensure that the child socializes and interacts with his peers and his social environment but make sure that these relationships are censored as they could have negative influences on the child.
9. Chastise the child where necessary but refrain from using physical or corporal punishment.

Are Foster Parents paid for their Work?

You’d probably be thinking what would happen if you were to adopt a child from a foster care agency and decide to undertake all the duties therein, ”would I be allowed to look after him all by myself?” The good news is that foster carers are being paid for taking up this responsibility on a monthly basis. According to salary.com, the average annual salary of a foster carer is about $60,934 at a monthly rate of nearly $5,100 as of May 27th, 2021. The salary range varies depending on certain factors such as level of education, certifications, life skills, years of experience in your career field and even demographic information. But one thing is certain, you’ll definitely have more than $3,000 extra cash to look forward to at the end of every month. 

How do I become a Foster Carer?

1. Get in contact with a phone number or email address.
2. Call a foster care agency and arrange a meeting.
3. Attend the scheduled meeting.
4. Do research on your interests and capability to handle a foster kid or children.
5. Get the foster care agency to assess your family.
6. Provide three or more references or sureties to attest to your capabilities of raising a foster child effectively.
7. Pass the background check or test that will be carried out on your family or on you.
8. Enroll in the orientation and training required to become a good foster carer.
9. Get your license from the foster care agency and adopt a foster child.

For more information on how you can become a foster carer in your district, click here. 

Top Foster Care Agencies in the U.S

1. AdoptUSKids
2. Casey Family Programs
3. Kidsave
4. The New York Foundling
5. TFI
6. Koinonia Family Services

Conclusion

Foster caring is really a great responsibility, one that can be compared directly to parenting, itself. It is with great admiration and respect that I write this article for those who are genuinely interested in carrying this great responsibility. For more information on being a good foster parent and carrying out your duties effectively, please refer to this link.