The New Year is often a time to reflect on the previous year and set new goals for the future. If you’re contemplating finding a new career, we explore foster care as a career and the transferable skills that will enhance your professional goals.
Can fostering be a career?
Yes, fostering can be a career and an incredibly fulfilling one, too. What could be more rewarding than providing a safe and loving home for a vulnerable child and helping them reach their full potential?
Whether you want to foster a child in your thirties or after retirement, at FCA, we’re here to support you and are committed to your professional development, no matter your stage of life.
When you foster with us, you’ll receive a generous fostering allowance that’s typically tax-free and a range of additional perks, such as a winter and summer bonus, yearly recognition awards and a special gift or experience for each fostering milestone you reach.
You’ll also gain transferable job skills that will help boost your foster care career opportunities and support you in achieving your professional goals. Here are some fostering skills you’ll acquire on your journey with us at FCA.
5 Transferable fostering career skills
Empathy
To become a foster parent, you need a lot of empathy for others. However, when you begin fostering, you’ll also gain a deeper understanding of people from diverse backgrounds and learn how to recognise their feelings and respond appropriately.
Many children and young people in care have experienced abuse and neglect, and all will have faced some element of loss and separation. As a foster parent with FCA, our fostering training will teach you how to look beyond a child’s behaviour to understand the root cause of their emotions and respond in an empathetic way.
Empathy is a crucial transferable skill for building long-lasting relationships in both your professional and personal life. It creates a positive environment where people feel heard, understood and valued for their unique identity.
Self-awareness
Alongside understanding the feelings of others, it’s essential to be aware of your own emotions. This will allow you to respond to situations thoughtfully rather than impulsively.
As a foster parent, part of your role will be modelling positive behaviour for the children in your care. This includes demonstrating emotional regulation and showing that you understand the impact your behaviour has on others. Being self-aware also means knowing when to tap into support, seeking feedback, and regularly reflecting on how you’ve handled challenging situations.
Helping you build self-awareness skills
When you foster with us, we’ll help you develop a deeper self-awareness. Your dedicated social worker will meet with you regularly, working with you to identify whether you may benefit from additional training. They’ll also provide honest feedback that will enable you to improve your practice. You’ll additionally have opportunities to attend support groups with other foster parents, who can offer advice and help you reflect.
Learning to manage your emotions will benefit you regardless of where your professional journey takes you and help you form positive connections with others.
Resilience
No one can predict the future, but we can all prepare for life’s challenges by building resilience. Resilience is the ability to adapt and remain level-headed in the face of adversity. It’s an essential skill for becoming a foster parent, but also one that you’ll continue to hone throughout your fostering journey.
One of the most rewarding things about fostering is that no two days are the same, but this also means you could experience unforeseen circumstances. Whether managing challenging behaviour, navigating big emotions or dealing with the unexpected, you’ll often need to adapt quickly to ensure your foster child’s well-being.
For example, your foster child might be thriving at school and settling in well at home, but a difficult family time meeting or a trigger to a painful memory could require you to adapt quickly and remain calm to support them.
Helping you build resilience skills
Resilience also means having a plan to face challenges, and here at FCA, we’ll be right by your side every step of the way. From our 24/7 local support network to therapeutic training, our Team Parenting model provides the guidance you need to navigate difficult situations and build resilience that will benefit you throughout your life.
Organisation
When you foster, you’ll develop exceptional organisational skills that are not only vital for fostering but can also help you succeed in all areas of life. As a foster parent, you’ll have various responsibilities. For example, you’ll ensure your foster child gets to school on time, manage family time arrangements and support them in pursuing their hobbies and interests.
At first, this might sound overwhelming, but with time, experience and our support here at FCA, you’ll find that creating and maintaining a solid routine will help your daily responsibilities become second nature. You’ll learn how to plan ahead, prioritise, and adapt to unexpected changes to your schedule while also ensuring your foster child feels safe, stable and loved.
Many children and young people in care have experienced disruption in their early lives, so your ability to provide structure and consistency can positively impact their well-being. It also gives them a platform to succeed in their education, build positive relationships and explore their interests.
Communication
When you become a foster parent, you will use your communication skills to collaborate with others and to help you understand your foster child’s needs. However, as you progress in your fostering career, you’ll become an expert in communication and collaboration.
As a foster parent, there will often be moments when you’ll need to advocate for your foster child’s needs. This could include ensuring they receive the right support at school, accessing specialised support or addressing concerns with their social worker.
Helping you build strong communication skills
Communication is more than just speaking – it’s about listening, understanding and building trust. Many children and young people in care struggle to express themselves, but at FCA, we provide training to help you connect with your foster child. This will help you better understand their thoughts, feelings and experiences.
As you gain more experience and with our support at FCA, you’ll develop the confidence and skills needed to communicate and collaborate effectively. Not only will these skills help you navigate your foster child’s care, but they’ll also enhance your personal and professional growth.
How to start a new career in fostering
If you’re interested in building your transferable skills and want to find a new career where you’ll truly make a difference, start your fostering journey with FCA today.
To become a foster parent, you must be over 21, have a spare room and have the legal right to live and work in the UK. You’ll also need to have a passion for transforming young lives, and experience isn’t necessary because you’ll receive extensive training.
The application process usually takes between 4 – 6 months and includes the following stages:
- Enquiry: Contact our friendly team. They’ll give you more information about fostering with FCA and book an in-person or virtual home visit.
- Home visit: During your in-person or virtual home visit, a fostering advisor will explain fostering and the application process in more detail. They’ll also answer any of your questions so you can make an informed decision.
- Application form: If you’re ready to start your fostering journey, you’ll complete an application form.
- Assessment: Once your application is approved, a social worker will assess your current skills, family life and personal qualities. You’ll also complete our pre-approval training, which provides deeper insights into the fostering role.
- Panel: Once your assessment is complete, it will be reviewed by an independent panel.
So, if you’d like to begin a new career that’s varied, rewarding and enhances your career goals, get in touch today. Together, we can provide more children and young people with safe homes that enrich their lives and improve their outcomes.
