It would be simple to claim that the qualities required to be a good parent—unconditional love, honesty, patience, and consistency—are also needed to be a good foster parent. All of those qualities are necessary for a foster parent to be able to give any child a successful home. Compared to a natal family situation, some features could be more difficult or call for a specific application. A foster family situation also has to have a few different characteristics.
First and foremost, a foster home must give the child a sense of belonging. It was concluded that the child needed care in a setting that was most like a home, so family fostering was chosen. That entails more than just offering a physical residence. It involves extending a warm welcome to the child and fostering a sense of equality within the family, where the child has the same rights and obligations as the rest of the family.
Second, the foster parent must go above and beyond to support the biological family when the long-term objective is to return home. Foster parents shouldn’t consider themselves to be the biological family’s replacement. Instead, when the parents have made the necessary changes for a safe return, the foster parents must act as a bridge for the youth to return home. This calls for the foster parent to promote and support family visits, keep the biological parent informed frequently, and involve the biological parent in as many of the child’s decision-making processes as is practical. In cases when the courts and a child welfare organisation approve it, it could also entail facilitating sibling visits.
The third requirement is that the foster parents show compassion for the child. Children in foster care don’t want their foster parents to feel sorry for them. They merely wish their foster parent to comprehend their situation and how it affects the young person.
Fostering Families is open to collaborations with other fostering and family-related organisations and communication from anyone else who would like to get involved or be connected.
