Why Children Enter Foster Care and How You Can Help

Why Children Enter Foster Care and How You Can Help

According to the government, tens of thousands of children are currently in foster care. There are many reasons why these kids are in foster care, with these reasons ranging from family issues to neglect. The foster care system provides an essential service for kids whose needs are not being met and who require love and care. Below, we discuss why children enter foster care and what you can do to help the situation.

• Family Crisis

Parents can request that their children be placed in foster care due to a family crisis. These arrangements are temporary, and the parent has to demonstrate the crisis has passed and that they can provide the right level of care before they can have their children back.

Local authorities can also intervene and, if the parents agree, place the children in foster care. Some of the events that may lead to this include job loss, a death in the family, eviction, or an inability to provide care in the short term.

• Disability or Illness

This can also be classified under a family crisis, but a parent or parents who cannot take care of their children due to a disability or illness can have them placed in foster care. The situation might be temporary or permanent depending on the circumstances.

The most important thing to remember here is that the birth family and the child must maintain constant communication while the children are in foster care. In some cases, the child might have a disability or illness that requires special care that the parents cannot provide. In that circumstance, the child can be placed with carers with the specialised skills to provide the required level of care.

• Neglect or Abuse

Neglect is a circumstance where the child’s needs are not being met. These needs might be emotional, physical or medical. Neglect can be deliberate or due to a parent’s lack of capacity and inability to provide the required level of care.

Sadly, abuse is a very common reason for children being placed in foster care. Physical and emotional abuse are common in homes with domestic abuse, and so the child needs to be removed in such circumstances.

While physical harm is easily noticeable, emotional abuse is much harder to detect and prove, but a child needs to be removed if it is detected.

• Making a Difference

Anyone over the age of 21 with enough room to spare and who passes the required checks can apply to become a foster parent. It can be rewarding to know you are making a difference in a family’s or child’s life by becoming a foster parent.

If you are interested in fostering children in London or in other places around the UK, you can get in touch with Orange Grove to learn more and access the training and support you need to become a successful foster parent.

It can be devastating to learn about the circumstances that led to children being placed in foster care. Fortunately, the system exists to ensure these kids have a great life and thrive in loving and caring environments. You can help out by becoming a foster parent yourself.

Guest Article.