Fostering: the UK’s most rewarding profession? Here’s why
We’re committed to supporting our foster carers; we understand that in order to do this, we need to listen to them, to understand them. We know that they need to feel able to tell us how they feel. To tell us what we do really well, and areas in which we need to improve. That’s why each year we ask our foster carers to complete a survey, which we then use to identify improvements across our service.
Our mission is to turn children’s lives around; and we know that without our staff and foster carers, we couldn’t do that.
In our 2019 Foster Carer survey, an overwhelming majority of carers stated that they saw fostering as a vocational calling in life, as opposed to a job, but despite this, there is still an urgent need for foster carers across the UK. We’re keen to tackle this shortfall.
In the survey, which was responded to by Five Rivers foster carers across England, we wanted to find out the reasons why people choose to foster. The results? Around 90% of foster carers chose to foster because it offered the chance to help turn around the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.
75% of our carers stated that they started fostering because they saw it as a vocational life choice rather than just a job.
We’re committed to helping our foster carers and staff to be the best they can be. We offer a full calendar of training so that they can develop and enhance their skills, develop their career. We encourage carers and staff to utilise their life skills to enhance the lives of the children and young people they support.
Furthermore, 90% of our carers praised the progression opportunities available and felt that Fostering should be recognised as a career that offers people the potential to grow professionally. Our training opportunities allow carers to develop their skills so that they can offer specialist care to their children and young people they look after.
Fostering is an incredible, rewarding thing to do. It not only transforms the lives of the children and young people in foster care but also has a life-changing impact on those that foster. People from all walks of life can become foster carers, including single people, co-habiting couples, same-sex couples and people living in rented accommodation.
We’re looking for people who can open up their homes and their hearts to vulnerable children and young people when they’re most in need of support, giving them strength and stability for the present and real hope for the future. The only requirements are a spare bedroom and over the age of 21.
For more information on foster care contact Five Rivers Child Care on 0345 266 0272 or visit www.five-rivers.org