A question we always are asked when people are thinking about becoming a foster carer, is why do we ask soooo many questions? Why do we want to know how they were raised as children, their first love and the losses that they have experienced along the way. Because surely, the fact that they want to help care for a young person, to give them the opportunity to succeed and live a fulfilled life should be enough?!
Unfortunately wanting to care for a young person isn’t a enough. To put it bluntly we need to ensure that number 1, you are in fact you are who say you. Number 2, that you have the skills to ensure that our young people thrive within your care. I always try to explain, if it was your child, and for whatever reason they could not live with you, surely you would want to know that the people they are living with are good people? That they will care for them that they will champion them to succeed in whatever avenue they want to go down, to keep them safe. The way we are able to ensure sure this, is by deep diving into your past and present, to try to understand who you are, why you are the person you are today.
Does it feel intrusive?
Perhaps at times, but the consensus, is that it feels therapeutic, cathartic almost. In that it allows you the unique experience of looking back (let’s be honest when do we have the time to do that?) to help you understand how you became the person you are today.
At Caritas Care, you will be allocated a social worker who undertakes your assessment, and remain as your social worker. This allows you to build a positive a meaningful working relationship (not all fostering services work in this way in that once you became a foster carer you get a new social worker)
Our children have all experienced some form of trauma that many other children would never in their wildest dreams ever have had to comprehend. With this in mind, part of the questions we ask, are to ensure that you have the emotional resilience, to be able to successfully parent and guide our children. Our aim is to well prepare and asses our potential foster carers, so that they are able to create meaningful and lasting relationships with the children with whom they care for.
