Welcome to Fostering : A Guide to Becoming and Being a Foster Carer

Foster carers often find themselves lacking support, or facing tough decisions. It can feel like there is no roadmap for this extremely rewarding but challenging experience. The Foster Carer's Handbook is that guide. It covers those first critical steps of the fostering journey: why fostering is necessary, how to become a foster carer and what it takes to thrive as one. Drawing on a wealth of experience from foster children, social workers, current foster carers and their birth children allows this book to offer a wider range of perspectives on fostering. Key issues and situations covered include: - Deciding to foster - Training and assessment - Your first placement - What it's like to be a foster child - Working with professionals Covering the joys and challenges of having new children enter your life, giving guidance on dealing with crises and setbacks, as well as how to cope when it is time to say goodbye, this book is invaluable for foster carers at any level. What should you expect when you're expecting to foster? This book is a guide to taking the first critical steps of your fostering journey, explaining what fostering is, how to become a foster carer and what it takes to thrive. Combining invaluable advice from veteran foster carers, the expertise of the professionals who support them, and priceless experiences of foster children themselves, this book explains the fostering process step by step. It tackles all the questions that you've ever asked yourself about fostering: What is fostering really like? What are the challenges? What kind of difference could I make? Comprehensive and accessible, this is the companion for first-time fosterers or those considering foster care. If You're Thinking About Becoming A Foster Carer, Or Have Recently Become One, This Book Is The One Companion You'll Need To Understand The Experience Of Fostering. This Book Demystifies The Process Of Fostering; It Answers All The Questions You've Had About How To Become A Foster Carer, What The Challenges And Highlights Are, And How To Thrive.