Our recruitment team share their ‘ten top myths’ they hear about fostering…
Time and time again people tell us that they ‘Would love to foster…but…’ and tell us a reason why they think they wouldn’t be suitable. So here in our latest blog we explore the ‘top ten myths’ we hear about fostering and give you the low down on the actual truth
1 – You have to be young to foster
At Fostering North Yorkshire we have foster carers who start the process at all different ages, some foster carers are in their twenties and some in their sixties. As long as you are over 21, have a spare room and are interested in making a real difference to local children’s lives then we would love to hear from you! The most important factor is that you have the time, commitment and motivation needed to care for children or young people and you have the energy to keep up with them!
2 – You have to have a big house to foster
It is important for children and young people coming into the care system to have a space to call their own, so foster carers do need to have a spare bedroom. Around 50% of children who need a foster placement have at least one brother or sister, who should be placed with them- they may be able to share a room with their sibling, but not with other children in the household.
3 – You can’t do other work if you foster
Fostering North Yorkshire has foster carers who combine fostering with part time or full time work, depending on the flexibility of the job and needs of the children they care for. We also have fostering households where at least one member of the household is a full time foster carer. We recognise the skills, training and commitment required of foster carers by offering a ‘skills fee’ (rather like a salary- although foster carers are classed as self employed) to our specialist foster carers alongside allowances and other payments which cover the cost of caring for the child.
4 – You have to be married or living together to foster
Single applicant? No problem. We have foster carers who are single, living with partners, married, straight or from the LGBT community. The important thing is that you have a range of life skills that you can bring with you to the role of a foster carer. As with any parenting role, it is helpful if you have a supportive network around you of family and friends to offer support with fostering. We understand that fostering is a home based role and that meeting other people in similar situations to share the challenges and rewards that fostering brings can be really helpful.
Here in North Yorkshire you’ll find a range of weekly meet ups, monthly coffee mornings and a mix of smaller and bigger social events happening, plus a chance to get involved with your local Foster Carer’s Association . Right now, of course most of our events are being held virtually. These are alongside the 24/7 support offered from your supervising social worker and supporting team
5 – You only need people to foster who are from particular backgrounds
All children have different needs so we need carers from all different backgrounds, religions and cultures to help care for our children. We look to place children where their needs are most likely to be met, this can factor in ages of the children, as well as cultural and religious circumstances. All our foster carers are approved for all aged children but most specify ages and numbers they are feel more comfortable to care for. We also provide a range of training courses around topics such as ‘Equality and Diversity’ to help foster carers to provide the best and most appropriate care for children
6 – You need to have your own children to foster
We have foster carers whose children have grown up and left home, foster carers with teenagers living at home and foster carers with younger children. Our social events include the whole fostering family and we have a range of activities and support for children of foster carers as they are a crucial part of the fostering task. It is helpful for fosters carers without children to have some experience with caring for children, whether through paid or voluntary work, or through contact with relatives.
7- Men can’t foster
It sounds crazy to us- but we’ve found that a lot of people believe that men cannot foster but this is a complete myth!. Both women and men can make great foster carers as each individual brings their own skills and experiences to fostering. As long as you are energetic, resilient and understanding you can be considered for fostering regardless of your gender.
8 – You can’t foster if you have disabilities
When going through the process to become a foster carer you have to undertake a medical check through your GP. The GP will advise if your disability is going to affect how you care for a child and give them a safe and positive environment to live in. If you are able to meet the needs of children or young people within your home, and meet their everyday needs then your disability should not stand in your way of becoming a foster carer.
9 – You have to own your home to foster
Foster carers do not need to own their own home. As long as the accommodation is safe and secure, with a spare room for a child or young person it does not matter if you own the home or rent privately or through social housing. If the home is rented you will need permission from the landlord to foster.
10 – Fostering is the same whether it is through your local authority or an agency
No – there are a number of key differences. Local Authorities are the only organisations who place children. In North Yorkshire we always look to our own team of foster carers first when children need a foster placement. We want to keep children local, close to family, friends and their school during what can be an unsettling time for them. We only look further afield (to a private agency) when we have explored every possible solution to meeting the child or children’s needs from our own team first. This means that our foster carers are most likely to get regular placements within their preferred age range.
We have invested into fostering and the payments made to foster carers are comparable to rates paid elsewhere, however we don’t make a profit from fostering -our priority is to keep children safe
We are dedicated to keeping our foster carers supported and trained to be able to provide the best possible safe, nurturing care for our children, keeping tax-payers money invested into the provision of locally based, quality public services which help support both our children and our county.
Happy New Year, from everyone at FNY!
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