What Foster Carers Do

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There’s much more to fostering than having a child to stay overnight or setting an extra place at the table. It does include domestic tasks like preparing meals and washing clothes but those things are just a part of what is involved.

Being able to work well with the Fostering Team and other professionals is an essential part of the role. Every foster carer has their own supervising social worker, who is part of the Fostering Team and every looked after child has their own social worker from another team. There will be regular meetings with these social workers as well as others such as teachers and doctors or other health care professionals. Depending on the circumstances, you are also likely to have frequent meetings with the child’s birth parents, other family members and friends, and it is important that you are able to support the child having contact with them.

You’ll be expected to feed and clothe a child but you may also have to help them understand the need for making healthy eating choices and taking exercise or give guidance on personal presentation and looking after themselves.

Encouraging a child with their school and homework is a key fostering task, particularly with older children whose education may have previously been patchy or overlooked. You may be expected to attend meetings at the school including parents’ evenings.

It’s also important that a looked after child has access to sports and activities and you may find yourself researching where they can take part in a favourite hobby at the weekends or providing lifts to the sports centre after school.

One of the most important roles for any foster carer is to be a good listener and to have the time to sit down with a child when they want to talk.