What do foster carers do?

What do foster carers do?

Key qualities of foster carers include being a great listener, having a good sense of humour, being optimistic, having their feet firmly on the ground and showing resilience. They must also be able to offer the time, commitment, space and skills to care for children separated from their families.

Here are some of the things you will be expected to do as a foster carer:

Provide support

You will need to ensure that you do all you can to support children and young people in their education, look after their health and promote their social wellbeing.

Attend meetings and manage information

Being a foster carer involves more than just looking after a child. As well as the day-to-day care of the child, you will be asked to attend meetings about the children in your care, keep written records, and manage information that is confidential and sensitive. You will help make plans for a child's future.

Manage behaviour

No longer being able to live in the home, or with the people, you are used to is a traumatic experience, whatever your age. Fostered children and young people can display difficult or challenging behaviour as a way of coping with this upheaval. As a foster carer you need to be able to recognise the possible causes of such behaviour and, with the support of your fostering service, develop strategies to help the child or young person manage their feelings and experiences. 

Promote contact with families

Contact with their own families is very important to children and young people in foster care and, as a foster carer, you will need to help maintain this if it is felt to be appropriate. This is important, regardless of any personal feelings you may have about the child's parents. Contact can be direct (face-to-face) or indirect (telephone, email or letters) and you will receive training to help you manage this.

Manage relationships

You must be able to communicate effectively, not only with children and young people but with social workers, the children's birth families and others concerned with the wellbeing of the children.

Commit time and energy

You will need to have time and energy to invest in a child or young person.

Develop skills

All new foster carers receive training before being approved. During your career as a foster carer, you can develop skills by trying something new, attending a training session, seeking advice from another foster carer or social worker or attending a conference.

Work in a team

A team approach is necessary to help children cope with separation, loss, abuse and neglect, settling in long-term foster care or moving on to adoption. Foster carers link to a large network of people: social workers, children's families, schools, health care workers, counsellors, designated teachers and the fostering service.