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Fostering

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Anyone want to share a week in life?

13 replies

natcat86 · 20/05/2012 20:14

Hi guys,
In the midst of the application process. We have a DS who is 4 we would be happy to foster a child who is preschool or school age. I would love to get an idea of what the daily life of fostercarers is like for those with fc who are school age and pre school age. Would anyone care to share a week in the life? Dont leave out all of those lovely meetings and phone calls!! :)

OP posts:
bonnieslilsister · 20/05/2012 21:06

Ok Here goes...missing out all the stuff with my own kids!

Monday Playgroup in morning and my ssw at 2pm
Tuesday Playgroup in morning and contact at 3.30
Wednesday Playgroup in morning and contact at 2pm
Thursday Playgroup and Fostercarer support group
Friday Playgroup and sw visit
Saturday Drop off fc with relative for the day
Pick up in evening
Sunday Nothing!!

Week before had childrens panel and also panel the week before that. Every week different.
I have 2 little ones and contact is usually more frequent when they are young.

I probably had 4 phone calls with sw in the week but sometimes there is only 1.

{Most babies will have daily contact when they are newborn}
Good luck with your assessment Smile

Mrbojangles1 · 20/05/2012 21:22

Monday - helping out with fostering prep group
Tuesday - ppm( permancy planning meeting) then off to get fc teething powder
Wednesday - visit from support worker then food shop
Thursday - baby up all night so slept all day hence (lazy day at home)
Friday - lunch with mate and her baby
Saturday - out in the garden with baby
Sunday - swimming

I very lucky my fc is not having any contact but when they were it was 4 days a week also numerous phone calls and emails

When a child first come and towards them leaving is really busy with meetings ect but inbetween it settles down a bit.

Every week is very diffrent a school age child your week is a touch more free but weekends are very busy

scarlet5tyger · 20/05/2012 21:48

Hi, I take in pre school children and have 1 at the moment. This is a typical week in our lives:

Mon - Contact AM, playgroup in afternoon
Tues - SW visit AM, contact in afternoon
Weds - Soccertots AM, contact in afternoon
Thurs - Playgroup AM, Contact in afternoon
Fri - Contact AM, Play centre afternoon
Sat - Contact AM (Every fortnight), free afternoon
Sun - Church AM, free afternoon

We have visits from SW once a month, from my SSW once a month, from HV once a month. LO has been here a while now so we're quite settled into our routine and it's (touch wood) nice and simple right now. It wasn't so easy when I had another child too who had directly opposing contacts, meaning twice daily visits to (different) contact centres. If you have a good relationship with the contact centre staff though you can ask nicely for them to arrange them together if poss!

bonnieslilsister · 20/05/2012 22:06

Yes, I have 2 fc's who are not related so that means double of everything: contacts, meetings, sw visits

humptymum · 21/05/2012 01:24

here goes, 11yr old boy(B) had 15months, 12yr old girl(A) had 5yrs, non siblings

Monday - 'A' screaming the house down can't find home-work, 'somebody has moved it!' (was under her bed). take B to school.
attend Support Group then lunch with friends. Collect B from school 3pm, take A to hockey after school,start dinner, go back and get A.
B goes out to play, parent comes to door compaining about B's behaviour.
go looking for B.

Tuesday - 'A' screaming head off cause she 'forgot' to get her mum to sign a permission slip for school trip at contact, still screaming as closed door behind her as she left for school. take B to school. Try contacting mum re slip.
'B's School phones .... smashing room up, Collect at 11am, set him some work on the laptop and try to do some paperwork for upcoming review. B bored and stabbing at keys so close laptop. set him a jigsaw which goes flying accross room, we wrap up and go walking dog!! lunch on return and sit with 'B' with laptop again, give up after 20min and let him play with cars.
Still trying to contact 'A's mum, send update e-mail's to both kids SW's.
'A' returns from school, take her to dance class, start dinner, collect 'A', serve dinner, take 'A' to Guides, let 'B' watch DVD (not allowed out) collect'A'

Wednesday - 'A' screaming again, can't find PE kit, 'it's not where I left it' (?).
I find it bottom of wardrobe, starts screamimg again cause 'she NEVER put it there!!! ' . Meeting at 'B's school, they agree to let him back in right away.
Go to 'A's mums house and get form signed, drop it off at school. Meet friend for coffe. Take kids to McDonalds for dinner as cant be bothered cooking lol.

Thurs - 'A' having full scale meltdown and taking no prisoners, she 'forgot' to charge her mobile phone, her life has ended!!!!! It's raining and 'B' refuses to wear a coat, so he's soaking when we get to school. Settle down to attack review papers again. School phones 2pm, he's smashed a laptop, decapitated all the seedlings P1 and P2 had planted,and broke a chair, so off I go again on the merrygo round that is living with 'B'.

Fri - 'A' having a hissy fit cause 'B' ate the last banana! 'it's what she wanted for breakfast and nothing else will do!' slams door on way out and the hall mirror crashes to floor (just what I need, just getting to the end of the last 7 yrs bad luck!) 'B' happy as larry as school not letting him back till Monday, the same can't be said for me!! still not finished those dam review papers.

The weekend consists of activities and contact for both, contact is stressful for both kids and we as a family take the backlash :( 'A' has not seen her SW for 4 months, we see 'B's a bit more as we have lots of meetings at the school but she doesn't come and see him on his own very often, maybe every 2 months or so, I havn't heard from our SW since our own review in Feb.
We have been FCs for 12yrs and the support we recieve now is the worst it has ever been.

Birdsgottafly · 21/05/2012 01:26

There are also medical appointments to be kept.

If the child is of school age, then contact could be straight from school but via a pre arranged taxi and escort.

Contact could be with both parents seperately or other family members, so as others have said, daily, usually at least two hours.

If the child has been attending any of the groups at the Children's Centre this is ideally maintained,sometimes contact can be a parent joining in a group, such as Play and Learn.

scarlet5tyger · 21/05/2012 19:17

humptymum - I'd love to be a fly on the wall in your house (albeit very high up on the wall, out of the way!)

I'm used to screaming as we're currently going through the "terrible twos" but I just have the one at the moment.

You sound like you have a fantastic sense of humour though, which I'm sure is much needed!

Gymbob · 21/05/2012 20:46

Crikey humptymum I'm a foster carer but thanking my lucky stars that my household isn't like yours. You're allowance is not big enough, you need a rise!

Mine is at secondary school, leaves the house at 7.30am and returns about 5.00pm. I have the odd meeting, but other than that there is nothing to report, well there is, but after reading yours humpty i've decided it's nothing Grin

bonnieslilsister · 21/05/2012 21:24

humptymum I take my hat off to you Thanks

humptymum · 22/05/2012 00:45

Hahaha :)
that was a GOOD week Grin. 'B's SW came to visit me today for a 'catch-up'. Filled her in and as she was leaving she told me to jot down todays chat and e-mail it to her!!!! As if I haven't enough to do Shock I never noticed she wasn't taking notes. So her 1hr visit could have been put in an e-mail that took me 10min to type up! what was the point i have to ask?
'B' had a great day at school so that made up for it :) they're both great kids, but god they're hard work .
My own 2 are still at home, we leave suitcases at intervals around the house but they ignore them, need to up the hints on them moving out lol.
well I finished my paperwork today and then got a call at 5pm to say review been postponed Confused oh well off for a Brew before bed

Nonio · 19/06/2012 10:34

Humptymum thanks for your honesty. My panel is next month and most fostercare my SW as introduced me to say it's a rewarding 'job' but are thin on the detail just in case they put you off.

Fosterangel · 30/08/2012 21:40

Humptymum you are amaaaaazing!! Move over Cathy Glass (stuffy self rightous woman that she is!) we have a new brilliant writer here with a magic sense of humour. We have fostered two teen siblings for 2 years now and recognise the "melt-downs" over mislaid gym kit or football boots not in the shoe rack when they need them - although I must admit our two are angels really and quite laid back compared to yours! You really must tell us more as it has brightened my day reading your post.

scarlettsmummy2 · 01/09/2012 21:27

Ok we have foster son who is fourteen. He had contact with his dad on Wednesday but social worker supervised directly from school and then he got the bus home. Other than that life as normal. I work three days a week and two girls of my own under four.

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