Contact between the child and their family while in foster care
Could you foster Marcia?
We are looking for foster carers for Marcia. Could you be her new foster carers? Why not find out more?
"Whatever happens they are always going to be my Mum and Dad"
In nearly all cases children will want to maintain contact with their families during the time they are in foster care. Research shows that those who manage to keep in regular contact with their families tend to do better in foster care than those who are, for whatever reason, out of touch.
As a foster carer it is very important for the child that you can encourage them to maintain contact with their family. You should also try to understand how heart breaking it must be for most parents to see their child being looked after by someone else, irrespective of the reasons why. The parents pain and guilt can all too easily turn to anger. Often directed against all those involved with the care of the child and this alone could eventually end up with them failing to maintaining contact with their child.
Both you and the social worker for the young person should do all you can to encourage contact and try to make this contact as beneficial for the child as possible.
You should look at ways in which you can assist the child to keep in contact with their families. There are many ways of keeping in touch such as telephone calls, correspondence, as well as visits.
The need to encourage and support family contact has implications for you as foster carers. For almost every child you foster you are likely to be asked to welcome their family into your own home. These visits are usually free from problems but you might find them disruptive to you and your family. You should expect to have to deal with disturbed behaviour from the child both before and after visits, particularly during the early stages of the placement. Any concerns you have regarding family visits should be expressed to your support worker and their advice should always be followed closely.
