We are applying to be foster carers, any foster carers out there that may be able to answer some of my questions?

[SammyK]

DP and I have a son together aged 4, and DP has two older sons aged 10 and 12.

We have a spare room we will use for foster children (it has bunks in and I will be suggesting siblings could be placed with us as I know there is a shortage of these opportunities available).

My main question is how we all adjust to having new children in the house? I know they will be unsettled, and it won't be all hearts and roses - how do you handle that? Do foster carers get support throught their first placement?

Also how do you manage with challenging behaviour?

I'm sure I will think of more questions!

We are going to an information day next weekend, so should get the chance to speak to fosterers in our area whilst there.

Hi Sammy

Sorry I can't really answer your questions as although I'm approved I haven't had a placement yet!

Just wanted to post a link to a book I think you'd find very helpful - it has a selection of very moving personal stories of foster parents' experiences with different tyes of children.

Should help you get an idea of what to expect before you start the process.

Good luck!

Hi there,

If you go with the right agency (or have a good local authority) than you will get lots of support.

My agency has special days/events for birth children where they are taken out and treated (maybe thorpe park, chessington or even just a day together to have some fuss made of them).

We also have loads of courses throught the year, managing difficult behaviour is just one of them. (They pretty much cover every thing course's can cover) in all fields.

Your supervising social worker (usually the person who goes through the assessment with you) will support you through your first placement (any beyond) with regualar visits to your home and keep tabs on how its all going.

As much as your children (and the foster children) will have there down days, im sure if you have the right placements there will be plenty of up/happy/fun days to overwrite the bad ones.

Maybe if you think it would be a huge problem for your children, you would only take on planned placements.

my husband was fostered as a kid, and had such a huge amount of support it was brilliannt. we are keen to foster and have a spare room in our own house.I qualify as a dentist in june. But.. we havent got any kids of our own yet, and we are young.. 23 and have only been married 18months. How long should we wait until we start getting in the foster system? until we are parents ourselves?

You can foster from 21. You don't need to have children already. You are young but no reason why you couldn't be approved for that. I knew a 22 year old who did respite fostering along with her slightly older partner, she was great.

Thanks for your posts everyone, we are now in the comprehensive assessment and pre approval training stage, and should go to panel end of april.

I checked the fostering book out of my library (along with two others in the same series), and they are well worth reading (although I wouldn't pay £8 a pop for them!).

thegauntlet, I am 26, my age was not an issue.