The Top 5 Traits Of A Good Foster Parent
July 18, 2018
How To Prepare Your Home For Foster Care
August 8, 2018
It is not easy to be displaced, regardless of the reason. And sadly, some foster children are used to temporary housing and moving from one place to the next. As a foster parent, your goal should be to provide a sense of security and stability. Foster children need a home where they not only feel welcome, but also comfortable. Here are a few ways to help your foster child feel more at home.
Create a welcoming space.
The first thing you can do is to create a space that welcomes a foster child from the start. Find out as much as you can about the child ahead of time. Consider decorating their space to match their interests before they even arrive. Find letters that spell the child’s name to hang on the wall. Find sheets in their favorite color. A fresh, clean space (to call their own) is the first step in creating a foundation for a new child in the home. Once they are there, give them the chance to add to the space with toys, posters, pictures, and other decor.
Show them off proudly.
Once your child has lived with you for a little while, you can start displaying their artwork, report cards, or pictures. Simply recognizing your foster child’s efforts on the refrigerator can do a lot for that child’s self-esteem and self-value within the home.
Plan meals with them in mind.
While you may have a set dinner routine established; it’s important to give your foster child a chance to feel included in the process. Take them grocery shopping with you to find out which foods they are interested in. Try to buy some of their favorite snacks and to cook some of their favorite meals. Invite them to cook alongside you in the kitchen, so that they learn some real-life skills, while also bonding over the shared experience.
Give them choices.
Along with food choices, allow your foster child to make other decisions as part of the family. Give them the choice to decide what to call you. Let them decide what the family activity should be that weekend. A foster child may become overwhelmed if they were never given choices before. If this happens, try giving them a short list of options to choose from. They will feel valued that you took the time to consider their wants.
Hold them accountable.
While it’s important to be open and friendly, it is also important to build boundaries with your foster child. Ensure that they must follow the same rules as the other children in the household. Assign them age-appropriate chores and provide rewards for following through with appropriate behavior. By setting boundaries and expectations in a loving way, you can help make your foster child feel like a valuable member of the family.
Inviting a foster child to live in your home is one of the most selfless acts a person can do. Building a safe, welcoming environment gives a foster child a secure foundation — something they may have lacked in former foster families or even within their own home.
For information on how to foster a child in need, visit camelotcarecenters.com today.
Every child needs and deserves to grow up safe and protected from abuse and neglect, and caring foster parents offer children support and stability when they need it most. At Camelot Care Centers, we specialize in higher-level foster care for children and adolescents that need extra support. We partner with our foster parents/homes to provide trauma informed care and additional services, including in-home counseling, parent support and training, tele-psychiatry, and therapeutic mentoring, to maintain children at the least restrictive, yet most appropriate level of care. Camelot Care Centers (“Camelot”) is a Child Welfare Agency licensed by the State of Illinois, a member of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth (ICOY), and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
