How To Prepare Your Family To Welcome A Foster Child

While fostering a child means background checks, paperwork, and training classes, there’s another important item to check off the list  — preparing your family. Start a conversation with your family about the foster process as early as possible. Keep these conversations on-going before and during the foster process. Here are a few ways to help prepare your family for welcoming a foster child in your home.

Explain what a foster family means.

The first step in preparing your family to welcome a foster child is to make sure they understand what that exactly means. Educate them about why foster families are so important and needed. Explain that foster homes are meant to be a temporary loving place to reside until the child can move back in with their birth parents; however, insist that an immediate return isn’t always the case. Keep the conversation appropriate based on your child’s age.

Discuss why you have decided to become a foster family.

Now that your family understands what a foster family is, explain why you have decided to foster. Let them know that that you have the space and means to invite a foster child within your home, and a desire to help someone in need. While your reasoning behind fostering is personal, let your family know your true intentions in wanting to help a foster child.

Prepare children for any behavior issues upon arrival.

While your children may be excited about the new family member’s arrival, remind them that the foster child may not be as excited; in fact, they may be scared, angry, or overwhelmed. Give your children some ideas as to how they can make the foster child feel at home, such as giving them a tour of the house and showing them to their own room. Remind your family that the foster child will need to feel welcomed but will also need his own space until he adjusts to his new home.

Establish new rules and routines.

While the extent of establishing new rules and routines will take place after the child arrives, it’s important to warn your family as to the changes that may take place. Remind them that the foster child will need time to adapt to their new environment. Explain your plans for integrating your foster child into the same responsibilities your current children hold, such as helping with family chores. Let them know that after the transition process you hope to operate as a normal family once again — only with one more person included.

Open the conversation about any concerns.

Remind your children that they come to you to talk about any issues. Invite them to regular family meetings to vent any concerns they may have. Keeping conversation open means that your child will know that their voices matter, and you want them to be heard.

Inviting a new foster child into your home can be an intimidating experience. Use these tips to start a conversation early and keep the ball rolling the entire foster relationship.

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).