AboutRachel Expertise I can answer questions about fostering - What's it like to be a foster carer? Who to go to for help? Experiences with troubled children. Attachment problems. Leaving care. Long term fostering. Dealing with birth families. Working with schools, statements, EBD schools.
Experience My husband and I have been foster carers for over five years and we are currently long term carers for two boys. We have had one boy from the age of 9 to 14 years who is with us long term. We have done short term respite care, one year seeing a sixteen year old girl through to leaving care and long term care of another boy from age 10-11
If you know a child is going to be put in Foster care, can you become that childs foster family? My daughter's friend might be put in foster care, what options do I have if i wanted to take care of her (she's 14).
Answer In the UK it is quite common for friends or relations of a child to become their foster carer and is known not surprisingly as "friends and family" foster care. Sometimes this starts off as an informal arrangement with the child's parents and then it is a question of registering with the Children's Services (social services) department as a foster carer. This can take quite a long time but generally the child can stay with you during that time. In fact, it is a legal requirement if you are looking after someone else's child to register this fact. If the child goes into foster care directly then you can approach Children's Services and offer to become carers for that child. Generally there are a number of checks made first before the child can come to stay with you.
An important point is whether the child would like to stay with you and whether you have appropriate accommodation available, e.g. own room for the child, safe environment etc.
I hope that helps. We fostered a 15 year old girl temporarily for two weeks before she went to a friends and family placement. She was going to share a bedroom with her friend. The arrangement lasted about 6 weeks before she left and came to live with us for about a year before moving back to live with her dad. Taking on a friend of your child can put additional pressures on your family and your daughter and any other children you have. It's not something to be done lightly and you need all your family to be committed to it because no matter how well you get on with the girl now, it is very different living with someone. However, with time, patience and commitment you can make an enormous difference to the girl's life and it is a wonderful thing to do which will bring you personal rewards.
