The Rewards Of Fostering

I have been fortunate that in my childhood I grew up in a relatively stable home. It was only my mother who brought me up, but there was no doubt that at times, because of some of my mother’s mental health issues, I could have easily fallen through the gaps and ended up in the care system. Thankfully I had extended family, namely my grandmother, who would step in at a moment’s notice to care for me and make sure I was happy and that I had a rock to hold onto when my mother had a mental health episode. If it wasn’t for my grandmother, I have no doubts that I would have ended up in foster care. This is where I consider myself lucky, but not every child is this lucky. This is where fostering plays such an important role. To help children feel safe and secure and hopefully make a difference in a child or young person’s life. 

Every year in the UK around 30,000 children will require a safe, stable and nurturing home to help them fulfil their potential in life. Unfortunately, there is a national shortage of foster carers which means so many children will not have the opportunity to excel in life or feel safe and cared for.

Over the last two years or so we have experienced a societal global pandemic as never before. Of course, due to the restrictions and numerous lock-downs that we have had to live with, it has impacted many of our lives both physically and in some cases mentally too. It has also affected our work lives. Many people were fortunate enough to be able to work from home, but this wasn’t the case for everybody. Many people were made redundant and the likelihood of finding another job was very difficult due to companies cutting back as demand dropped off due to the pandemic. 

A lot of people have had to retrain and start on a new career path. A very good alternative for a new career is fostering. Fostering brings enormous emotional rewards and excellent financial benefits but your pay may vary depending on who you register with as independent fostering agencies like Swiis Foster Care usually pay a higher fostering allowance than their local authority counterparts. 

The emotional rewards are very obvious, you will have the chance to make a difference in a child’s or young person’s life. Many of the children that will end up being fostered will have come from very difficult and dysfunctional family lives and for whatever reason the parents have been unable to give their children a stable family life and home. This means many children will have experienced a trauma that could leave them withdrawn and quite simply unable to cope with life. This can lead to mental health issues later in life or unfortunately taking the wrong path in life and seeing them getting into trouble. This is where fostering can guide a child or young person towards a more stable and secure life and most importantly give them a sense of belonging. This will hopefully give them a head start for their adult life and really make a difference in a child’s life. 

As I have mentioned already with redundancy at an all-time high, fostering is a great alternative for a career and the rewards emotionally and financially are excellent. Saying all of that it’s not an easy decision to become a foster carer. In fact, for most of us the thought of fostering will feel very overwhelming and daunting. Fostering requires commitment, a large amount of compassion and above everything else, a very genuine desire to change the life of a child or young person.

If you are thinking of fostering as a career change then there is no need to feel daunted or worried, because agencies such as Swiis Foster Care will give you all the training and support you need. Fostering a child will certainly have its challenges, but as the child starts to improve in school and make new friends and they start to feel a sense of belonging as part of a family, you will feel a great deal of satisfaction and reward that you are making a difference in the child or young person’s life. 

The fostering agency will also look at your family dynamics, your location, and your work/home life balance along with your fostering preferences and will help you with a child placement that suits you and your family best. 

With so many children needing a foster home every day, if you are looking for a career that will offer rewards that are on a more personal level it could be the career change you are looking for.

Are you a foster carer or are thinking of fostering as a career? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. 

This is a paid collaboration with Swiis Foster Care. All thoughts are 100% mine.