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View all Fostering subjects

FIRST STEPS FOSTERING COURSE PREVIEW

You’re viewing the first module in this course section. This course section has 12 parts. Register for free to read it within the full First Steps course, save your progress, use quizzes and continue through the remaining modules.

Welcoming A Child Into Your Home and Working as Part of a Team

This set of exercises explores how foster carers can help children maintain important relationships while providing a safe, reliable base. It considers why family time matters, how to understand and follow individual plans, prepare children without pressure, support them during and after visits, and recognise the importance of siblings, relatives and other significant people.

Learners also consider digital contact, recording observations and sharing concerns. The focus is on empathy, clear boundaries, teamwork and helping children feel connected, heard and secure.

Modules in this course section

  1. FOSTERING: 1. Preparing to welcome a child — 3 minutes
  2. FOSTERING: 2. Welcoming a child into your home — 4 minutes
  3. FOSTERING: 3. How the Child May Be Feeling — 4 minutes
  4. FOSTERING: 4. Helping to Overcome Worries — 8 minutes
  5. FOSTERING: 5. Case Study: Rihanna aged 14 — 9 minutes
  6. FOSTERING: 6. Introducing Family Members to a Foster Child — 8 minutes
  7. FOSTERING: 7. Working As Part of a Team — 9 minutes
  8. FOSTERING: 8. Home Visits — 10 minutes
  9. FOSTERING: 9. Attending meetings — 8 minutes
  10. FOSTERING: 10. Case Study: Foster carer Priya — 8 minutes
  11. FOSTERING: 11. Working together does not always mean agreeing — 8 minutes
  12. Next Steps... — 1 minute

Preview this first module, then register free to continue through the full section.

FOSTERING: 1. Preparing to welcome a child

Welcoming a child into your home as a foster carer is an important and sometimes emotional experience. For the child, arriving at a new home can bring many different feelings, including worry, confusion, sadness, excitement or uncertainty. They may not know what to expect, who they can trust, or how long they will be staying. Foster carers can help by creating an environment that feels safe, calm and welcoming from the very beginning.

One of the most important things a foster carer can do is prepare the home before the child arrives. Having a clean, comfortable bedroom or personal space ready can help the child feel that they were expected and that their arrival matters. Simple touches, such as clean bedding, a few age-appropriate books, toiletries, nightwear or some toys and activities, can make the room feel more personal. It is important not to overdo this, as the child may feel overwhelmed by too many new things.

If time and planning allows it is important to find out what you can about the child’s likes and dislikes, particularly in terms of food, along with any dietary needs and/or allergies/intolerances, so that you can have some of their familiar food and drink items in stock to help them to feel more at ease. It can be very overwhelming for a child to sit with a new foster family at a dining table, eating formally with unfamiliar foods so it is always worth being more flexible about mealtimes in the first few days.

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