Deciding to become a foster carer demands a great deal of thought and consideration. Fostering is a path chosen by many who generously feel that they want to help those less fortunate have a safe and secure home.
And while many thousands of people welcome foster children into their homes and spend many rewarding years caring for them, the system isn't perfect, and therefore it isn't a decision to be taken lightly.
Recent findings by the Fostering Network, an organisation representing the 43,000 foster carers in the UK, found that the vocation is fraught with problems. Its research uncovered the worrying statistic of 51 per cent of foster carers who, in the past three years, haven't been given adequate information about a foster child they were caring for.
Many of the inadequacies lead to carers, their own children, and other children in their care being put at risk. A third of carers were not informed about a child in their care's medical requirements, nearly half were kept in the dark about a history of abuse, and two thirds weren't told about a child's behaviour in general.
Local authorities have a duty of care to foster parents; in fact, in the 1990s two court rulings clarified that local authorities can be sued for failing to meet this duty of care.
The cases were extreme and things have improved since, but it's important to be well informed when considering fostering to avoid making the wrong decision.
There's no requirement in the UK for people wishing to become foster carers to be married; you can foster if you live alone or cohabit, and sexual orientation makes no difference either. This rule differs slightly in Scotland, where people that live in households where there are two or more adults of the same sex who are unrelated cannot partake in fostering. A single gay man or lesbian, living alone, is still allowed to foster though.
There isn't an upper age limit for people wanting to foster, but you would be expected to be able to work with the complex needs fostered children often have, and be fit enough to perform other associated tasks.
If you choose to become a foster carer, you will need to go through preparation and assessment, including attending group sessions where you will learn about the needs of children in care. You will also be visited by a social worker, who will present a report on you and your home to an independent panel who will decide whether you are suitable to foster.
Everyone who becomes a foster carer will have a review annually and further training if needed.
Thomas Pretty is a foster carer with many years of experience in fostering children. Find out more about fostering at http://www.five-rivers.org/
