Fostering advice please!

[SarahP13]

So, we have officially started the fostering process (in UK)! DH and I have had brief discussions in the past about it but it wasn't the right time to start fostering; now DD2 is in nursery three days a week, timing feels right. I need to feel like I'm doing something, I've loved being a SAHM and used to be a nanny (for 14 years!) so fostering seems ideal.

I've just had a phone call with a social worker and she's arranged to come out on Friday morning (8th) for an initial visit. I'm so excited and a little nervous! Do any of you lovely ladies have any advice about things I should ask or highlight to her?

Thank you! X

 

[Rebaby]

Hi, we've just finished fostering so at the other end of our fostering journey. We were approved exactly a year ago and we fostered a newborn baby girl from 5 weeks old until 9 months- she was adopted just before christmas.

If there's anything you'd like to ask, I'd be more than happy to help- just pm me.

In terms of the initial visit, ours was quite straightforward and quick. The social worker asked us about our backgrounds, our family, OH's work, she looked around the house, and discussed what kind of fostering we were interested in (short-term, long-term, respite etc) and what age range.

Different areas work differently, but certainly for us, we were advised that we would most likely be approved for an age range at least 1-2 years younger than our youngest child (if that makes sense?) as apparently it helps birth children if the birth order is kept (i.e. so that the foster children coming in are always younger). In our case, our boys were 5 and 3 at the time so in the end we were approved for one child age 0-2, which is what we were thinking of anyway

Anyway if there's anything specific you wanted to ask, just give me a shout.

Hope the visit goes well for you.