How Does Fostering Affect My Family?
How does fostering affect my family?
Fostering involves the whole family and when you foster, your children foster too. Living within a fostering family can teach children vital life skills, such as patience and empathy, and many children who grow up in a fostering household go on to become foster carers themselves. However, some children can find it difficult to share their parents and belongings, or saying goodbye when a child moves on, but your Amicus supervising social worker will be there, not only for you, but also for your children. Amicus recognise the vital importance of building relationships and supporting the whole family.
There are Amicus-run groups for the children of all our foster carers, regardless of their age. Plus, there are a variety of activities and events held over the year, for the whole fostering family.
As well as your immediate family, Amicus also recognise the importance of the help you get from your greater family, friends and neighbours, and Amicus offer support in whichever way proves more helpful, either meeting with them, or by telephone.
See the comprehensive section ‘Benefits & Rewards’ within ‘Why Amicus’.
“In hindsight, growing up as part of a fostering family provided a rich tapestry of formative experience. I think it fair to say if I possess any of the qualities of compassion, empathy, tolerance, patience, or understanding, they were formed in no small part by the experience of growing up in this household; as part of this ever expanding family. Amongst teenagers, whose experiences, emotional and behavioural, were often quite different to many of my other peers, and through the example of my parents and their seemingly unending patience and tolerance, I learned that there was always more to understand of any situation, before you could really hope to begin to unravel it.”
(George, Son of Foster Carer)
