Becoming Foster Parents in the UK

*Remunerated Post*

When Ross and I were having problems conceiving, we considered both adoption and fostering as an alternative. We didn’t really know where to start becoming foster parents and how we would be assessed and considered. It all seemed like a bit of a minefield to me.

At the time, we knew that we had an extra bedroom and a safe, loving environment to support a foster child. These days, of course, we have Grace, Rex and a plethora of jobs between us so it wouldn’t be the best plan right now. However, there is still an urgent need for people who are looking at becoming foster parents.

Like us, there are many people who are not clued up on how foster care works. So I was very interested to hear from Compass Fostering and their results following a recent survey commissioned by them.

About Compass Fostering

Compass Fostering is one of the UK’s leading foster care companies. They put a huge amount of effort into finding carers who can provide supportive homes to children and youngsters in need across the country.

For this, and many other reasons, Compass Fostering have recently run a comprehensive survey into the state of fostering in the UK – and the public perceptions which surround it. They carried out two surveys. One on 148 foster carers and the other one was a public survey.

The Foster Carers Survey Results

Most carers (39%) indicated they have been fostering for between one and five years. There is a reasonably even spread across all options though (from one year to 10+), with none receiving less than 18%.

78% of carers have fostered more than one child or young person, with nearly half (44%) caring for five or more, and 22% having cared for more than ten.

Nearly 90% of the respondents (86%) indicated that either all or at least some of their fostered children/young people are still in touch. Only a few carers (14%) said their fostered children/young adults are not in touch.

The majority of carers (88%) chose to foster to help children/young adults to have a secure family environment, which was by far the most commonly selected answer. Having previous involvement (29%), past experiences in their own lives (28%) and challenging themselves (24%) are the most commonly selected secondary answers.

Wanting to help children is also selected most commonly as the most important reason for why people got into fostering, with over 2/3 of the sample (69%) selecting this answer. Past experiences in their own life is the second most important reason (12%) and then having previously met or having involvement or to challenge themselves (both 8%) round off the most commonly selected answer

The Public Survey Results

• Over ¾ (77%) of people are unaware of the true number of children and young people in foster care (which is over 53k). Only 22% of people said over 50k
• 90% of people are aware that the amount of children and young people in care has increased in the past ten years
• Nearly ¾ (73%) of people are unaware of how many foster homes there are in the UK (0.2% of households)
• Over ¾ of people believe that the average foster child has three or more placements. So it seems people are aware that children are being moved often.
• The majority (92% of people) think foster carers have their own children, most people say they think between 51% and 80% of carers have children
• Over half (58%) of people said they would or maybe would consider becoming a foster carer
• 44% of people know someone who has been in foster care themselves, 19% of people (at a total level) have had a close friend or family member who was fostered (the remaining 37% say an acquaintance, someone I went to school with, a colleague, neighbour, or other)
• 73% of people feel that wanting to help people have a secure family environment is why people foster
• The top two qualities people think you need to have to be a carer are Patience (86% of people agree) and Kindness (82% of people agree), but the majority of people agree with all 5 qualities (Patience, Kindness, Empathy, Resilience, Motivated)

My Thoughts

The most telling point to me is the reason people want to foster. 88% of carers and 73% of the public agree with giving the children and young people a secure family environment and I would wholeheartedly agree with this.

One of the things that I wasn’t aware of was the fact that you receive a foster care allowance to assist you with the financial implications of caring for a foster child. This is made up of a professional fee and a day to day living allowance for the child. There are also tax exemptions.

Finally…

I have to admit that my door will never be completely closed to fostering a child in the future. After all, we all need to ensure that every child has a secure, happy home to thrive in.