Five reasons to consider fostering as a career
Becoming a foster carer is a highly rewarding role to take on. Whilst not without its challenges, fostering is a fulfilling career option that makes a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children and young people in need.
From helping a foster child or young person reach their full potential to developing your own skills, there are lots of reasons to consider fostering as a career. Here are our top five for you to consider…
1. You could transform lives
Perhaps the most rewarding reason to consider fostering as a career is the chance to change the direction of a child’s life. Many children enter foster care due to difficult circumstances, and foster carers play a pivotal role in providing stability, love, and support during these challenging times. The impact of fostering extends far beyond a child’s time in your care. The love and support you provide can have a lifelong effect, helping them build the foundation for a brighter future.
2. Help someone through difficult times
Providing support to a foster child or young person through a difficult time in their life is one of the most compassionate and meaningful aspects of fostering. Many children enter foster care due to traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, or the loss of their biological family. During these challenging times, they need a stable and nurturing environment. As a foster carer, you have the opportunity to offer emotional stability, helping children feel safe, loved, and cared for. Your home becomes a sanctuary where they can begin to rebuild their trust in adults and in the world.
3. Be part of a community
When you join Unity Foster Care, you also join a great community doing amazing things for children in need! Fostering often involves collaboration with social workers, therapists, and other foster families. This creates a valuable network of support, allowing you to share experiences, gain insights, and receive guidance throughout your fostering career. You can expect 24/7 support from your Supervising Social Worker, plus access to support groups and foster carer buddy schemes. We even host plenty of free family events.
4. Develop new skills
Fostering is a great opportunity to develop your own personal skills. This is particularly important to us at Unity Foster Care, which is why we provide our foster carers with online and in-person training opportunities. As well as this, fostering requires resilience, patience, and adaptability. As a foster carer, you’ll face various challenges that will help you grow as an individual. You’ll develop essential life and gain a deeper understanding of foster children and young people. All of our foster carers also receive a free Foster Talk membership.
5. You will be rewarded financially
All of our foster carers at Unity Foster Care receive a generous fostering allowance and additional benefits. As fostering can itself be a full-time job, it is important that our foster carers are financially rewarded for all their hard work. The level of allowance varies depending on the needs of the child or young people you look after. Our foster carers also receive paid respite care, for when time off is needed.
Are you a caring and patient person, with a spare room? Could you provide a safe space for children across Yorkshire and the North East? Start your application with Unity Foster Care today. Our friendly team are on hand to answer any questions you may have, as well as support you in starting your fostering journey.
To make a start on your application, call us on 0333 772 2333 or contact us online and we’ll be in touch.