Becoming a foster parent is one of the most rewarding decisions you will ever make. There are, however, slight variations to some aspects of the fostering systems in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. So how do you become a foster carer in Scotland? What is the current need for foster families in Scotland?
On the face of it, it looks like the need for foster carers in Scotland should be declining with July 2017 statistics noting a 3% decline in children being looked after and a drop in children being placed on the child protection register.
However, foster carers do retire or move on, and we need to replace them with new foster families. Scotland may be bucking the national trend, but there are still 14,897 children and young people being looked after by foster families or in secure accommodation.
In other words, we still need foster carers willing to open their lives and homes to children who need to live away from their birth families.
It is a process any potential foster parent needs to enter with their eyes wide open. So how do you do this?
Information & research
You wouldn’t make a large purchase without first doing your research or gathering information. And neither would you make a life-enhancing decision to become a foster parent without first researching what it is really all about.
The best way to find out about something, to gather information and ideas, is to ask questions;
- What type of fostering placements are required?
- What kind of skills and abilities do I need?
- Can I foster? What are the barriers to fostering, if any?
- How do I introduce the idea of fostering to family and friends?
All these questions and more are things you can explore by talking to a foster agency. Addressing personal concerns is something you can do during the home visit face of the pre-fostering application process too.
Jumping in deeper
When you have all the information and facts you need, you will need to take time to think through whether fostering is right for you.
And if you do, the next step is to jump deeper into the process and make a formal application to foster.
As you would expect, there is a lengthy form to fill in, a process that happens over several weeks. You will also need to attend a training session, usually held over a few days (usually a weekend, but this may differ).
What type of foster placement are you willing and able to offer?
Children in care need different placements in order to thrive. Some will need respite care – maybe a weekend every few weeks or for a period of a few weeks over the course of a year, for example.
Some disabled children need foster care too, and some children need therapeutic foster placement.
There are also children waiting for adoption who need a loving home in which they can live and prepare them for their forever family.
As part of the application process, as a foster parent, you will decide what you think you can offer a looked after child or children, what age group you think you would suit and so on.
Nearly there!
The fostering application process can take up to six months. On the one hand, you will be desperate to welcome you first foster child but on the other hand, rushing the process means things can be easily missed.
But with your application form complete, and your training sessions attended, your application can now go to the Approval Panel.
They have an overview of everything on the form and may even want to meet you.
But here’s the best bit – once approved, you can look forward to making a difference to the life of every child you look after, whether that be in the short term for a few weekends during the year or on a longer-term basis.
Make a difference – foster in Scotland.
FCA Scotland is currently looking for foster parents and families in Scotland to offer safe, nurturing and loving homes. Could you do that?
