Welcoming Children into the fostering Home
How To Welcome A Child into Your Home
Sparks foster carers are supported to prepare a welcome pack for the children who arrive to live with them. The welcome pack contains items appropriate to the child’s age, such as colouring books for a younger child and a journal for older children.
Sparks foster carers are trained to speak with the child and support the child to adapt to their new home, regardless of how long the child stays in the home. For example, some of the children may have previously been prevented from taking food from the kitchen when they want a snack; however, unless the child’s social worker directs otherwise, children in fostering homes will have access to food when they want it. Other advice and support given to the child will be dependent on the child’s previous experiences and how the child adapts to the fostering home.
It is of utmost importance that the child is supported to experience the fostering home as a safe space, where they would be protected from harm and where their views and feelings are heard and respected. Regardless of whether the child stays in the home for one night or several years, the home should always be experienced and remembered positively by the child. When the child comes to the home, especially if the child had only known poor treatment beforehand, it should be expected that the child will take some time to learn to trust the fostering family and to work through any difficult emotions. Sparks Fostering supports foster carers so that they are able to provide the best possible support to the children in their care, which includes providing a warm welcome to the child when they first come to the fostering home.
