There are also many individuals who find that they want to try fostering children in order to contribute time and effort to help improve the life of someone less fortunate. Here are some of the benefits that fostering children can have on the child himself or herself.
First of all, fostering can allow children a great degree of respite when they are going through temporary family troubles. This can be a great help and allow them to regain some security and stability in their lives.
Many children in foster care are not there because they are to be permanently separated from their parents, but instead as a form of ‘break’ whilst the parent receives help or counselling that will enable them to hopefully be able to come together as a family unit again. This is therefore a valuable period of time for the parent and the child.
For the child, the break down of relations in the family home can be very distressing. There are numerous reasons why this can happen, but at the end of the day the result is often the same – a child can not only suffer trauma in the home due to the difficult circumstances, but they will also be under frequent stress as long as problems persist and there is no solution in sight.
For this reason, fostering children can help them not only get a break from the constant stress, but they will also be allowed to experience a safe and stable home life, even if they are temporarily separated from parents and even siblings. Even though this can be stressful in and of itself, children often do experience some relief due to being out of a very stressful environment.
The next major benefit is that this experience often allows the child in question to form more positive relationships in a home environment, something which may be absent from theirs at the time that they go into foster care. Children may not have had someone to confide in, which can cause them to bottle up pain, distress and resentment.
Often one of the main roles that a foster carer will have to play is that of a confidant as well as someone who will have to deal with a child’s moods and upsets. This can be a challenging role for the carer, but it is also one that means a chance to help the child open up, vent their anger and frustration, talk about their problems and come to terms with their circumstances in a healthy way.
Finally, foster care can be very beneficial as it allows the foster carer and the agency involved to help set a positive model for children to follow in regards to coping skills and dealing with their circumstances. Often in homes that children are taken from to be put into care there is a volatile and destructive environment with poor communication.
Carers and support workers will be able to help set a positive example for children that they did not get in the home to a large extent, which can not only help them when they return home to their families, but can also help them adjust to life in the world outside too, which will be an exceptionally valuable skill as the child continues to grow up.
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