Meet Bradford’s children who foster
It isn’t only adults who foster for Bradford - when you bring a foster child into your family home, your children will become part of a growing community of children who foster.
Maryam’s story
Maryam, aged 11, lives with her parents, who are short-term foster carers. Learn more about her experience as a child who fosters:
What’s it like to be a child who fosters?
“I love fostering, it’s always a new experience and I like meeting new children.
It’s interesting to live with other children, like the Christian children we looked after. The children were not very different to us, they were the same, we celebrated Christmas and had Christmas dinner and told them about Jesus”.
Like any household, foster carers' homes have ‘house rules’ to protect both the foster child and the carer’s family.
We ask Maryam how her family deals with house rules, including knocking on doors and asking permission before entering a private room (such as a bedroom):
“The rules are not hard, you just get used to them”.
The benefits of being a child who fosters
As a foster carer, your family will be caring for children who cannot live with their own parents for a variety of reasons.
This comes with huge responsibility for you and your family, especially your children. They will be sharing not only their home but their family, friends and some of their possessions with a foster child.
We ask Maryam what the best thing about being a child who fosters is:
“I play with the children and help look after them and it makes me feel more grown up.
You’re doing something good, you’re helping them”.
Who are ‘children who foster’?
We use the phrase ‘children who foster’ to describe the children of foster carers. This doesn’t just have to be the children already in your family - it can also include grandchildren and other young people who spend a lot of time with an adult foster carer.
Are there any difficult parts of being a child who fosters?
In any household, there can sometimes be difficult situations. For a child who fosters, there may be some challenging parts of their parent’s role. Maryam says:
“Sometimes [the foster children] have an attitude and you can get annoyed about that.
We were devastated every time a child moved on, but we were excited when we knew a new child was coming.
Sometimes the Social Workers will take the [foster] children out and leave us, but once it was really nice because they took me to McDonald’s with them as well. It made me feel special”.
Would you like to learn more about fostering?
If you would like any advice about how to talk to your child about foster care, or wish to learn more about fostering in Bradford, please get in touch with our friendly team.
Book an information call back now and chat with our friendly team about life as a foster carer.
Alternatively, please download our information pack, which is filled with important information about the role of a foster carer and the Bradford Council fostering service.
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