How To Create A Safe And Stable Home Environment For Foster Teens

When a foster child enters your home, you have the chance to make them feel welcome from the moment they walk through your door. While showing a kind demeanor is a start, there are a number of other things to consider when creating a safe and stable home environment for teens.

Give Them Space

Remember when you were a teenager and you wanted to spend as much time alone as possible? Imagine landing in a stranger’s home at that age and not having your own space. The most important thing you can do is to introduce a foster teen to their own bedroom space from day one. Show them which bathrooms they can use and which other rooms are available for them to spend time at leisure. Your teen will need time to adjust but should begin to take down some of their walls once they have a safe place to quietly unwind.

Set Boundaries

Once your foster teen has been introduced to their own space, set boundaries, rules, and expectations. You may consider sitting down with them and brainstorming a list of rules together. For example, you might decide that your foster teenager is allowed a half-hour of television in the living room after they finish their homework. Discuss different rewards for good behavior, such as extra video gaming time for continued help with set chores. Discuss consequences, such as losing gaming time for not completing homework.

Follow Through And Remain Calm

While it is easy to establish boundaries, it is not always easy to follow-through with them. Take the time to reflect on what your foster teenager is doing right or wrong. Stay active in their lives to notice how much time they spend on homework or how much time they spend text messaging friends. Remind them of the rules you discussed when they first arrived and the expectations you have while they remain in your household. Make sure to remain calm and collected and not to yell, as many teens in foster care have experienced trauma and respond better to a calm voice.

Stay Positive

Remember that everyone faces changes in their life in some way or another. When unexpected circumstances arise, try your best to remain positive and hopeful. Remember that many foster children have bounced from home to home, feeling like a tourist rather than a family-member. Maintaining your own positive outlook can be infectious, helping a foster teen to feel hopeful and positive about their own future, as well.

Be Honest And Plan Together

Whether your foster teen has appointments, court dates, or is possibly moving back home, remain honest with them. Make sure they have a calendar of up-coming events, so that they know what to expect and aren’t hit with too many surprises. Be open to speaking with them about their past, their concerns, and their curiosities.

Display Affection

Above all, show kindness. Your foster teen will be much more likely to open up and connect with you if they learn they can trust you. Whether they are with you for a few weeks, a few months, or longer, it is important to remain calm, patient, and loving.

Foster parenting  is a rewarding experience. While it may take time for your teenager to adjust, creating a safe and stable home environment will help them get to a comfortable place, allowing you to build a relationship, and help them through their life journey.

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.