6 Reasons Why Someone Might Need to Be Fostered

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The foster care system is there to provide children with a safe home. It can be for a short duration with a foster family, or it can be a long-term situation where the child stays with their foster family until they are old enough to leave the system. These children have often gone through something frightening, traumatic, or confusing, which means they need an understanding and patient caregiver to help them get back on their feet. 

To learn why the foster care system is so important and to better understand what the children may be going through, here are six reasons someone might need fostering. 

1: A Family Crisis 

Many families go through some sort of crisis at one point or another. However, some of the worst require a child to go into the foster care system. A family crisis could be a family-splitting argument, a divorce, an accident that impacts health, or the unexpected need to relocate. To help children going through something confusing and scary, look into fostering in Essex to open up your home to those most in need of a safe space. 

2: A Victim of Abuse 

Unfortunately, abuse in all forms happens to many children throughout the UK every day. Once the light of this abuse is confirmed by social services, the child needs a new place to call home. Foster parents help young abuse victims get out of their dangerous situations, ensuring they have a safe home to live in for a while. These children are often scared and require a stable environment to feel safe once more. 

3: Neglect 

Another reason for a child needing a foster family is neglect. That might mean they haven’t been fed, clothed, or supervised, resulting in a child with a desperate need of proper care. 

4: The Death of a Parent/Guardian 

What happens when the sole parent or guardian of a child dies? While sometimes the child can go to a relative, that isn’t always possible, and for this reason, they end up in the foster care system. It only adds to the child’s grief and trauma, as not only has the child lost their parent, but they must also move from the home they know. 

5: The Ill Health of a Parent/Guardian 

It’s not always the death of a parent that warrants a new home for the child. If the parent or guardian becomes too ill to take care of the child, then the child may need to go into foster care. 

6: The Parent/Guardian is Incarcerated 

If a child’s parent or guardian is incarcerated, they can no longer be looked after at home and often need to go into foster care. This might be for a short duration, or the child may end up in foster care until they are an adult – that depends on the reason behind the incarceration and how long the parent stays there. 

There are more reasons a child may end up in the foster care system – these are just some of the most common. It’s crucial to understand the various reasons, especially if you plan on fostering, as it allows you to empathise with the foster children.