Leicestershire foster carers tell us about the benefits of being a foster carer:
- experiencing a sense of achievement from helping others
- enjoying having children in your life
- gaining satisfaction from helping a child learn and develop
- having an opportunity to use your parenting or life skills
- helping your own family learn to share and care for others
- taking on a fresh challenge, whatever your age
- making a difference to a child’s life
- what qualities do you feel you need?
- the child and age-group you would best be able to care for.
- whether you have enough space in your home
- if you work. Are your hours fixed? Will you have enough time to spend? What if the child is not at school?
- what time would you have for yourself? How would you recharge your batteries?
- who is around to help? Family? Friends? Neighbours? Baby-sitters?
- how prepared are you for your family life to change?
- if you have family living with you, do you all feel the same about fostering?
- if you have a partner, how will you share the responsibilities of fostering? How well do you support each other?
- how you would react to children who do not respond to your efforts to communicate with them
- how you would respond to children who constantly demand attention, affection or reassurance
- how you would react to a child who refused to eat the food you had prepared
- how you would react to a child who was careless with things you value, such as furniture and crockery
Page Last Updated: 13 May 2013
