Wednesday 15 February 2017
Fostering is, without question, one of the most challenging, rewarding and transforming things a person, couple or family can do.
At Alpha Plus Fostering, we understand inviting a vulnerable and often neglected child or teenager into your home, learning to see the person behind the behaviour and making a real difference to their life isn’t something anyone enters into lightly.
Some of the most successful foster caring matches that have happened in recent years have been the product of intense support for the foster carers.
Most agencies involved in fostering agree that the higher the degree of support a carer can receive, the better the outcome will be for both carer and foster child.
If you are considering fostering, it is important to use an agency or service that will give you access to a fostering mentor.
Most mentors are foster carers or former carers themselves and they will understand exactly the challenges you face because they will have experienced them directly themselves.
Accessing support from a fostering mentor means having a person who will listen to you in a non judgemental way and allow you to discuss any difficulties you might have.
Often, having someone to listen is enough, but mentors can give practical advice based on many years of experience about what approaches work and what doesn’t.
The benefit of a mentor is often that they can see a situation with a fresh pair of eyes and put themselves in your shoes or the person you are caring for.
Often, if you are dealing with difficult or challenging behaviour, it is hard to take a step back and assess what is really going on. This is where a mentor is invaluable.