You have successfully been approved as a foster carer but you’re yet to welcome your first foster child. At this point, you most likely have a lot of emotions running around your mind, ranging from excitement to anxiousness. As with anything important, the first time is always the most emotional, but this just shows how much you care. To help put some of those feelings to rest, we’ve put together a short guide for getting prepared for foster care in London.
Seek Out Essential Information
Before you agree to take on your first foster child, you will be given an information pack with relevant information, which will include some of their likes and dislikes. However, you may require more details to ensure you can provide the very best home environment. If this is the case, you can turn to your fostering agency in London and ask them any additional questions you may have.
Make Small Gestures
When you’ve found out as much as you can about your new foster child, you can make some real differences in your home to make them feel secure and comfortable. For example, if you find out their favourite movie is Spiderman, you can make sure you’ve got them available to watch. By making small gestures upon arrival, you’ll help your foster child settle in much faster.
Create a Neutral and Cosy Bedroom
It’s only natural to want your new foster children to feel at home, so it can be tempting to go all-out on decorating the bedroom. However, every foster child is different, and you never know how long they may stay for, which is why we recommend opting for a natural base colour.
When they arrive, you can ask them how they’d like their room decorated, and you can even get them involved by letting them help pick out posters, bedding, and other decoration. By being involved, your foster child will feel in control of their environment, which is something they may not have experienced before.
Put Together a Family Scrapbook
From a foster child’s perspective, your home is an unfamiliar setting full of strange people, which can be overwhelming and will stir up a lot of questions. Is this a kind family? How do I fit in here? Who are all of these people?
To answer all of these questions and a whole lot more, put together a family scrapbook to reassure your foster children. When they first arrive, let them read it and be prepared to answer any questions. If you have a foster child that isn’t able to read yet, you can simply explain what each of the pictures is.
Leave this book in your foster child’s room so they can refer to it later – they may forget a lot of the information.
After reading through the tips outlined above, it’s time to go and get prepared. If you get stuck along the way, remember to talk to your foster agency for a little bit of guidance; you’re never alone when you become a foster carer.