5 great reasons to consider fostering #AD

**Posted in collaboration with Compass Fostering**

There are thousands of children in need of a loving home. Through no fault of their own, they are unable to live with their birth families. They can sometimes bring with them emotional baggage that makes them difficult to reach. They can present behaviour which is challenging, even for the most seasoned professional. And yet, every day, a foster child will wake up in a safe, caring and protective foster family.

There is no denying how tough being a foster carer can be, just as there is no way to deny the rewards that come with it. It is something I looked into before having Emmy, I struggled to become a mother suffering 5 miscarriages over my long journey to become a parent, it was during this time I considered giving that love I desperately had to give to a child who was in desperate need of it. The timing wasn’t right for us at that time though, but it is still something I’ve not ruled out but once the children are a little older and would be able to accept someone new into our family.

There are so many reasons to foster – here are just a few:

You will be helping to shape the next generation

We all need to feel a sense of belonging and attachment. When you have the ‘basics’ in your life, you are able to grow.

As a foster carer, you provide the stable foundation a child or young person needs. Your actions are significant not only in the here and now, but the effects are long-lasting. How amazing is it to think that you are helping to shape the lives of future generations?

Make a difference to the community

It takes a village to raise a child is an African proverb. What this means is that the whole village looks out for all children, ensuring they are safe and free from harm.

Fostering is a similar process. For example, it is now entirely possible that fostered children will have positive contact with family members while enjoying a stable and loving foster home.

It is a modern-day ‘village raising a child’, with foster carers making a real difference to their communities.

From ‘empty nest’ to ‘busy family’ home again!

Many carers come to fostering later in life, once their own children have grown and flown the nest. Still having so much to offer, many parents train to become foster parents.

For some parents, an empty nest is difficult to live with. Empty bedrooms and quiet evenings may have been what you once hankered after but now it’s here, the silence is deafening.

From a single child to a group of siblings, why not open your home and make a positive impact on a child’s life?

Enjoy the reward of their achievements and developments

Just like parenting your own children, the fostering journey can be tough. Children and young people need time to adjust, lashing out at the unfairness of the world and the way it has treated them. They may struggle with feeling abandoned or let down. They need time, as well as space, and your understanding and patience.

You will feel tested at times, but the payoffs are enormous. The achievements of some foster children, whether that is ‘star of the week’ at school or being picked to play for the team, are hard-won.

They may lag behind their peers but, in the right foster home, where they are warm, safe and loved, they soon flourish. And it is you, as a foster carer, which facilitates and supports them to reach their potential.

Children need you

One of the main reasons to foster is that there are babies, toddlers, children and young people, all over the UK in need of a family and a home. 65,000 children live with 55,00 foster families (2017 figures) in the UK, but more foster carers are needed.

The perception is that becoming a foster carer is hard, with limits and restrictions about who can become a foster carer. But this isn’t the case. Just as the foster children and their needs are diverse, foster carers and their skills need to be diverse too.

Compass Fostering recently suveryed 148 foster carers about their fostering journeys – of those surveyed 39% had been fostering for between 1 and 5 years.

It was also discovered during this research that 78% of those carers had fostered more than one child or young person, with nearly 44% caring for 5 or more and 22% having cared for over 10 foster children.

A whopping 86% of those foster carers are still in touch in some shape or form with those they’ve previously cared for proving the bond the form is meaningful and beneficial to both the children and the carers.

If you would like to find out more about this survey and about fostering you can find more information over on the website: www.compassfostering.com/how-many-children-in-foster-care

There are lots of children in need of safe, loving homes. Could you provide what they need?