Children and young people need foster homes for all sorts of reasons and come from all sorts of situations and backgrounds. There is no ‘one’ typical child who is looked after and each needs to be considered as an individual, with unique needs and personality.
The children themselves are just as unique as any other person, it is often their experiences that lead to them needing to be fostered, whether short term or long term.
Some of these reasons are given here (but not all of them!):
- A child may have experienced a temporary separation from their birth parent/s or family, due to their main caregiver needing to go into hospital, for instance.
- It may be that a child or young person is being parented by someone who lacks the skills to care for them properly and it is decided that it is in their best interests to be cared for elsewhere – either temporarily, or permanently.
- Fostering may be an option for parents whose child is disabled or has severe medical needs and may need some ‘respite’ every now and again.
- A child may need support with their additional learning needs, or may have developed behaviors that would benefit from specialist input, away from the family home.
- Some children enter the care system because their parent/s die and there is no one else in the extended birth family to look after them.
- In some cases, children and young people have experienced or been exposed to abuse, such as emotional, physical, sexual, neglect, domestic violence and drug misuse and may need to be placed with a foster family, so that they are safe.
- If a child or young person is being prepared for adoption, a foster family can help them to make this transition.
Children and young people who need foster care come from a range of ethnicities, cultures and age groups, which is why Chrysalis Care need a diverse group of foster carers to care for them.
We work closely with out foster carers to ensure that there is a ‘best match’ between the child or young person and the foster family. We always consult with the foster carer and provide as much information as possible, so that they can decide whether to accept a child or young person into their home.After almost twenty years, Chrysalis Care pride themselves on their expertise in matching and placing children because we know that this can mean the difference between a settled child and one who experiences further disruption.
Could you foster with Chrysalis Care? Do you want to know more about the children and young people who need foster carers? Find out more about becoming a foster carer here.