The Pluses And Minuses Of Long Term Foster Care

So you are considering becoming a foster parent? Congratulations! Fostering is a great opportunity to help a child in need, and you may just find opening your home and your heart benefits you, as well.

While fostering can be incredibly rewarding, it is not perfect. Here are a few of the pluses and minuses of long term foster care. Read on to learn more about fostering and then decide whether it is right for you! 

Plus: You Can Give Hope

Inviting foster children into your home gives you the opportunity to help those in need. Many children in the system have been neglected and may have faced abuse. Acting as a positive role model and mentor can help shape the future for a young child who has started to lose hope.

Minus: You Can Only Do So Much

While taking on a child from foster care is noble, sometimes children need more than a foster family to overcome what they have been through. It is not entirely up to you to “fix” a foster child. A teenager may have his own set of problems that require additional help outside the home. Taking on a foster child means learning to work with a team of other adults, such as a doctor, psychologists and caseworker, to ensure the child has a well-rounded support team. While you can do a lot for a foster child, you will need to rely on a team to help out as well.

Plus: You Can Fill An Empty Home With Love

If your children are grown and have moved out, then fostering can be a great way to connect with a child again. You may also consider foster parenting if you always wanted children but were never able to. If you have an only child, he or she may also enjoy having a sibling around. No matter the situation, inviting a foster child to live with you means inviting the opportunity for love within your home.

Minus: A Small Space Makes Fostering Difficult

If you don’t have a spare bedroom for your foster child, then you may want to consider fostering when you have more space. A foster child needs a room to call their own, so that they have a safe space where they can feel comfortable in the home. If you have a house full of family members, fostering may not be the best fit. Take the time to think about whether you have the room in your home and in your life to commit to helping a child in need.

Foster parenting has its pluses and minuses. While it has its challenging moments, the rewards that come from helping a child in need can outweigh the hardships. Consider fostering a child in need and brighten your life and the life of another 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).