Can anyone answer a few questions?

[olivejuicey]

Hi me and my partner are interested in fostering I wander if anyone can answer a few basic questions before i take steps to contact our LA

First off we have been together for 4 years and are very committed but we are not married, we are also fairly young (22) with no children of our own. We are old souls and very mature for our age but would this count against us? I am a nanny with plenty of experience in childcare, I know fostering will be challenging but I believe we could provide a loving home to a child in need.

I have grown up in a very stable loving middle class home whereas my partner had a really rough childhood with physical and mental abuse from parents / step parents. This is partly where our motivation to foster comes from. The authorities were never involved when my partner was a child but would this history affect things? He was also on medication for adhd when he was a child but hasn't taken medication for it since he was 11.

Ideally we would like to specialise in short term fostering for children aged birth - 2. Is this possible or is it to specific? I'd also like to know how long short term fostering usually lasts for?

Thank you so much for reading and I'd be really grateful if anyone would like to share any advice or their honest experience of fostering, the good the bad and the ugly.

First do you live together and how big is your house ??

You being younger and not married should not be a problem, although the approving panel may want to ask how you would manage certain situations and what life experiences you have to support you.

Your partner's past does not preclude you but it will need to be established the impact on him as an adult including his attachment and parenting style as well as the impact that being reminded of his traumatic past may have eg is he at risk of being retraumatised.

Ime short term fostering is not as common with younger children as LAs will want them to be as stable as possible ASAP. Have you may be thought about respite care, so caring for Foster children while their regular carers are on holiday? Also that age range is quite limited, most I know would want to approve for 0-5 so basically pre school age at least as a minimum range.

Short term is classed as up to 2 years.

Many children are removed from parents and remain in foster care while an assessment is made which typically takes 6 months. At the end they may be returned to parents or another family member or placed in long term foster care or even adopted.

If they are going to stay in care they will remain whilst a long term placement is found although sometimes the short term carer may elect to keep them. If adopted they will prob stay with you whilst suitable adoption parents are found.

Younger children eg under 2s are usually - although not always - placed with Local Authorities rather than IFAs but speak to both.