Foster parenting

 Does anyone here have any experience with fostering?

 I'm considering the possibility of it somewhere down the line, once we are more settled here. 

 It does seem like a huge responsibility, and I don't even know how the UK system works.

 I would want to take in the ones that were a bit older...are you allowed to pick the age range of the child you take in? Can you opt to foster just one child at a time or is that up to the fostering agency? I know a couple who were foster parents in the states, and they had to take in as many children as they could fit, basically.

This would probably only happen a couple of years down the line if at all.
We'd want to get some sort of training on dealing with any challenges that we may face should we decide to go for it, to make sure that we're really up for it. It does seem like something that could turn out to be quite rewarding in the long run. Anyway, I am still on the fence.


Any experience or advice you could share would be greatly appreciated!

My experience isn't in actual fostering but in working with students who are fostered. From what I can see there is a huge demand for foster parents. They are able to express preferance of age range. They also can only have one child at a time. I am sure they are encouraged to take other children at times, but I don't think it is required. There is also training offered and support groups for them. I know many of the foster parents do activities together and help each other out at times.

I have often thought of doing it myself, I think it is great you are considering it. I think the hardest part is knowing you may have to say goodbye and watch the child go to a situation that you might not always think is best for them.

My sister in law tried to foster, but in her area it proved too complicated.     They wound up having another of their own.

Danger unfortunately I have absolutely no advice or information for you on it...but I think it's really awesome that you are even considering this.  My hubby and I are planning to try for 1 or 2 more kids, but fostering is someething I'd love to do sometime down the road.  The thing that has always worried me about it is, is exactly what HG said...seeing them go off to a situation that you don't think is good for them (like returning them to an abusive parent or something of that nature).  I also think that seeing them go, period, might be too hard for me.  I don't have a clue about the UK, but in the US, some kids are only in foster homes for a few weeks (maybe until a grandparent or other family member takes them in), but some kids might be with you for years...it would kill me to see a kid go after all that.  Please keep me updated on any information you do find (even if this is years down the road, please PM me...cuz I plan to stay on this forum forever...lol).

My colleague at work, who I used to sit next to, fostered children in the UK.  He and his wife were able to pick the age range they wanted.  They wanted children that were about the same age as their grand daughter as the wife looked after her a few days a week.  They only seemed to have one at a time, except for the time they did emergency fostering for 2 sisters.  But I think they were only with him for a day or two.  I know his wife wasn't able to work when they were fostering, but that may have been because the children they fostered were only about 4 or 5.  He always seemed to have to take days off of work to go to training from the local council, so something to consider if you or your partner work.  The child had to have their own room.

Good luck. 

Well I've never been a foster *parent* but after age 4 I was raised the rest of my childhood in foster care so I guess I have some experience. However, that was in America and I have no idea how the UK system works.
For me, foster care was rocky. My first family couldn't handle the emotional outbursts that came from a grieving child (having lost my mother and being separated from my brother) and so you should probably be a little more patient than they were.
After that I bounced between different homes sadly until I was 13 and sent even *farther* away from my brother to L.A where I found stability and happiness . I think what that family did *right* was be nurturing and accepting and patient but realize they had to be firm with me even though biologically I wasn't their child.
My brother on the other hand lived with one extremely great family his entire life and they actually adopted him when he was 9. So our experiences were very different and his was probably a much more positive one. But, the best thing to do is treat them as if they're your own and love them and nurture them and be willing to put up with a lot.

I have a degree in social work - but it's from the US. So I could tell you how to go about fostering there, but not here!

However, I too want to foster in the future. It's always been my primary goal re:children. I've never wanted my own, but I've always wanted to foster. (However, I want to do emergency foster care, not long term, so a bit different! :-P)

great thread- I've been thinking about fostering so found this very interesting.