What is Fostering
Fostering involves one or more children coming to live with you in your home. There are a variety of reasons why children need to be fostered and the length of time they need your care may vary. It may be for a short time, a few days, a couple of years, the rest of their childhood or just at weekends.
Children often need help to stay in touch and maintain links with their family. Fostering is rewarding and satisfying, although sometimes it can be hard work.
Why are carers needed?
Family problems sometimes make it impossible for children to continue living with their parents or other close relatives. When this happens, Social Services have to take over parental responsibility and arrange for children to live with a foster carer. This is usually a temporary arrangement, although some foster placements become more permanent.
Many children and young people in Bradford in need of your help are not ordinary children. They may have dealt with considerable trauma, neglect or been abused and received little love or affection in their short lives. So patient carers are needed to give love and understanding to help a distressed child settle down.
Wherever possible, we work to get children back home with their families. Carers play an important part in keeping children in touch with their families and supporting the rebuilding of relationships between children and parents.
The experience of some foster carers
Jason
I worked as a youth worker for 5 years before I considered becoming a foster carer. I really enjoyed working with young people and after meeting some foster carers who described their experiences of being foster carers I began to consider the possibility for myself. After attending one of the Adoption & Fostering Unit’s information meetings I realised that fostering really was an option open to me. Since then I have never looked back.
I was approved as a Fostering Challenge carer where I look after one young person aged 12, who had difficulties settling in to fostering placement and required much more support than the average foster child because of his behavioural problems. It has been difficult at times but the rewards definitely out weigh the down sides. The young person I care for has been with me now for 2 years and it is amazing to see the change in him.
Nazreen
As our children got older and became independent I started to feel the house getting empty and wanted more children to fill that void. My aunt and uncle had been foster carers for 15 years before they retired from it and it was at a family gathering that my aunt suggested that we should consider it.
We investigated the possibility of becoming foster carers and decided to pursue it. That was 6 years ago now and we have one girl aged 14 who is placed with us on a long-term basis. It's great having young people in the house again and rewarding knowing that we are able to give them the support they need to move on to a more permanent home or return back to their family.
