Chloe loves fostering teenagers – could you do it too?
Many people think that fostering teenagers is not for them. There are many reasons for this, but we find that when we speak to people who foster teens – they love what they do!
Choosing to foster is a big decision, and part of that decision is what age of children you could give a loving home to. Often people assume that younger children will be less impacted by needing to be in foster care, but this is not always the case.
Our aim is to provide care and stability for our local children, by ensuring we have dedicated and committed foster carers. Our number one priority is the wellbeing and futures of these children that really need our help – whether they are an infant, child, tween or young adult!
As your local authority fostering service, your local council, we will always give all the information that we have to our carers before we ask them to foster a child, but we do often find that people are less likely to say yes to a teenager.
There are many incorrect perceptions and assumptions about teenagers, so we wanted to share with you what our foster carers in Merthyr have experienced when caring for our young people.
We spoke to Chloe and her partner Corey who had known for a while that fostering was something they wanted to do – but had never thought about looking after teenagers.
Here are 5 thoughts from Chloe about their experience with teens:
- ‘We always wanted to be foster carers, but never thought about fostering teenagers’
- ‘Fostering a teenager is completely exceeding our expectations’
- ‘Sometimes taking a step back is a good thing’
- ‘In our house, we all work together as a team’
- ‘Our teenagers really appreciate us and speak highly of us’
In this blog we are going to share Chloe’s thoughts and experience of fostering teenagers with Foster Wales Merthyr Tydfil in more detail.
‘We always wanted to be foster carers, but never thought about fostering teenagers’
“Fostering was always something we knew we wanted to do, with fostering holding a special place in both our hearts, although the thought of fostering teenagers never crossed our minds until we had a call on a random Thursday evening asking us if we were able to take 2 brothers – aged 10 and 12 – eek!! But we took the leap, and said yes… it just felt right!”
There are many children that need a loving home. It isn’t a case of being able to ‘choose’, but we can be more open and chat with you about what you feel your preferences are based on your current family dynamics.
‘Fostering a teenager is completely exceeding our expectations’
“Fostering teenagers has made us view the world in a completely different way. We were initially told by people that fostering teenagers would be difficult due to us being so young, although we soon learnt that this a strength more than a weakness – it is truly the best thing we have ever done and has taught us more about ourselves than we ever thought possible”
It’s worth thinking about the types of fostering you could offer. For example, could you give regular breaks for other foster families? Are you available to support us with emergency care? Would you prefer to foster more longer-term? Head to our types of fostering page to find out more.
‘Sometimes taking a step back is a good thing’
“We find that due to us being a young, laid-back couple, it has been easy to remain on the same level as a teenager and understand their way of thinking a little easier due to having things in common to bond over. We have recently learnt that sometimes taking a step back is a good thing and letting them come to you when they are ready is the key to breaking down barriers with certain teenagers”
No two children are the same, and that’s why we support and treasure such a varied mix of foster carers – from all walks of life. You can work full-time (read more on this with Foster Wales Monmouthshire), rent your home, be part of the LGBTQ+ community, have children of your own. What matters most is your commitment. Being committed to caring for children that haven’t had the best starts to life. And in turn, we will match you with children that are well suited into your family. Find out more on our who can foster page.
‘In our house, we all work together as a team’
“We work together as a team to overcome any worries, and everyone’s opinion is valued which is a vital skill in being able to support a teenager in care – making sure their voice is heard. We advocate for our teenagers and involve them in all the decision making.”
We have many foster families with different circumstances, but they are all supported. You’re not out there on your own. We promote a team approach and you’ll work with dedicated social workers, teachers, therapists, not forgetting your own family and friends.
‘Our teenagers really appreciate us and speak highly of us’
“We recently had our first parents evening with C, and the only word used to describe him was ‘outstanding’ by each and every teacher. One teacher commented on the fact that C speaks extremely highly of us as his foster carers which they feel has helped him settle into high school with ease. C is thriving in school which I truly believe is echoing from his home life being so settled and content”.
Here at Foster Wales Merthyr Tydfil we want to encourage more people to become foster carers and/or transfer to local authority fostering. It means more children can remain in their local area, with their support team all based in the same office and therefore better investment in support services.
Join us in making a difference, by fostering with your local authority
If you’d like to know more about fostering in Merthyr, please get in touch here
For people residing outside of Merthyr, please visit www.fosterwales.gov.wales to find your local authority fostering service, or further information.
