As a foster carer, you will reap many rewarding moments from opening your home up to a foster child. Knowing that the child also benefits makes the journey worthwhile on a whole new level. You are providing them with a safe and stable environment and allowing them to stay in school and keep up with their academic goals. You are providing the foster child with a dependable family life while allowing them to stay in touch and remain connected with their birth parents in a supervised setting.
Of course, there is so much more that foster children can gain from the right foster carers. However, the benefits are not only limited to the child. Foster carers derive a lot of satisfaction from their role in these children’s lives. For those of you who are considering fostering, we explore the rewards of doing so.
Doing Something Important for the Foster Child
Foster children are an extremely vulnerable population. There are not enough foster carers in the UK for the number of foster children needing homes. Many of them have faced neglect and even abuse with their primary families. You are providing an alternative living arrangement that will keep one more child safe and allow them to experience love and a normal family life.
In this context, normal family life refers to being kept safe, being cherished, having possessions of their own, eating regular, healthy meals, having uninterrupted schooling, and being considered and respected. It means living a life without fear or scarcity. It does not refer to the foster carer’s family structure. If you are single or part of a same-gender relationship, etc., this will not prevent you from being accepted for this great work. Contact the ISP Fostering agency to find out if you qualify.
Developing a Special Bond with a Foster Child
Although the early days of fostering may involve a steep learning curve, at some point you will be overtaken by a warm and meaningful moment shared with your foster child and realise that you are bonding. Some foster children stay with their foster carers long-term, and sometimes until the child is 21. However, with a solid bond between foster carers and foster children, this can become a lifetime relationship. These carers go on to attend their foster children’s weddings and later enjoying the role of grandparents.
Even with short-term foster care, it is natural to develop feelings of affection towards a foster child and to have these reciprocated. It can be a bittersweet moment when the child returns to their birth family, but you can take heart from knowing that you helped make this possible, sad as it is to watch them leave. You will also be able to foster more children and be able to provide many more children with what they need the most in life at that time.
Compensation and Salary
You need not have extra funding to take on the role of foster carer as the agency will provide you with an allowance to cover the child’s needs and also a professional fee that enables you to embark on foster caring fulltime. The allowance will enable you to feed the child a nutritious diet, provide clothing, toys, and toiletries, and all the other expenses caring for a child brings. You may receive additional funds to buy school uniforms and take your foster child on holiday. Foster carers can also take advantage of multiple discounts.
Tax Relief
As a foster carer, you need to register yourself as self-employed and will have to complete tax returns. However, you will be exempted for the household for an amount of £18,140. You will also obtain additional tax relief for each week, or part thereof, that a child spends in your care. This is called qualifying care relief and it means that generally the income you receive from fostering will be tax-free. Your state pension may also benefit from National Insurance credits.
The Enjoyment of Parenting
Being a care giver to children will reward you with countless hours of pleasure. A child makes a home, and if you have not had biological children yet, you will still be able to enjoy the spontaneous laughter and happiness that a child expresses.
Adoption
It can be extremely sad to bid a foster child farewell as they return to their parents who are now ready to care for them properly. However, some foster care arrangements become permanent, and you can watch the child grow and thrive from babyhood to young adult. In some instances, the path becomes clear for a foster carer to legally adopt the child in their care.
Sign up to foster a child and change your life and theirs.
