Wherever you are in the world, the profession of a foster carer is a unique role with varying degrees of reward and challenge. There is no job quite like it, and it centers around helping children have a safe home where they can heal if necessary, and be looked after. If you are considering becoming a Scottish foster carer, there are seven things you need to know to get started. Read on to find out more.
You Will Be Employed By Your Agency
Foster carers are paid an allowance, which is often tax-free to a certain amount. You are at work when you have a placement, and although it is an emotive one channeled with compassion and nurture, it is, above all else, a job, where you must remain professional. The foster carer pay in Scotland covers all your basic needs and is reflective of what you must do.
You Can Take a Break
Much like any job, you are allowed to have a break from fostering. This comes in the form of respite care, where your usual placement child or children will go to an alternate foster home for a short period, typically a weekend. So, while the role is a 24/7 demand, much like standard parenting, the agency does look after the well-being of the carers as well.
It is Rewarding
Foster carers have one of the most rewarding roles in the wider lens of society. They are performing a sometimes challenging role while balancing life around it and making a significant difference for the children that they meet along the way. It is said to be a very rewarding career in this context and can do wonders for mental resilience and general capacity.
You Have to Care
This is not a black-and-white role. As a foster carer, you will experience a range of emotions every day from start to finish. There will be challenges and children that you just don’t click with too. However, being able to care and put your heart into it is very desirable. Foster parents are stepping into the role of caregiver and parent. With that role comes all the typical things you would expect from your own children. While there must be a degree of separation, this is not a role you can perform properly without compassion and heart.
You Must Have a Suitable Home
It doesn’t matter whether you live in a flat or a manor house, there will be an assessment of suitability from your chosen agency. Before you are allowed a placement to begin, you will have to show that you have made suitable accommodation arrangements for any child coming into your space. This typically means a spare bedroom that they can call their own. It should be neutrally decorated with all the basic amenities taken care of in advance.
Birth Children Get a Say
If you are already parents with birth children in the home, they will get a say in the process. Their voice matters, as do their feelings on how things should look and what they feel comfortable with. Any social worker, as a part of assessing suitability and needs, will talk to your birth children too as a part of the interview.
What Kind of Placement do You Want
It is good to have some idea of the types of placement before you begin the process of becoming a carer. Some people prefer short-term placements where they get to meet and help a high volume of children. Other carers like to stick with a more permanent and established long-term support model where they have one child or a pair of siblings until they are old enough to take care of themselves. You can also opt for a respite model of care where you provide a space for children on a weekend or for a few nights here and there. Whatever you pick, you should make sure it is an informed choice and talk through the options with the experts first.
However you look at it, fostering is a very positive thing for any child who needs it. If you are looking to step into that role, make sure you are fully aware of all the facts so you can move forward positively.
