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Every year across the UK, many people make the life-changing decision to become a foster carer. Though, like all parenting, fostering is not always an easy job, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences your of your life. If you're considering becoming a foster carer, it's a good idea to learn as much as you can about foster care programs in order to determine if you are ready to take on such a large responsibility. It's also important to understand what the process of becoming a foster carer entails. Firstly, before you sign-up to be a foster carer, it's a good idea to make an initial enquiry with the foster care program's staff in order to learn more about foster care in general. You can ask about the different types of foster care placements - such as emergency placements, short-term placements, long-term placements and respite placements - as well as the requirements you must meet in order to be considered. The second step in becoming a foster carer usually involves having a foster care advisor from the foster care organisation make a visit to your home to discuss the process with you further. From this home visit, the advisor will determine whether or not you seem fit for the position. If the advisor thinks you're qualified, you'll be sent an application form. After receiving your application, the third step is to fill it out, supplying as much detailed information as possible. This is your chance to showcase why you are the ideal candidate for foster caring. You can use the application as an opportunity to prove how passionate you are about becoming a foster carer and how your skills and experience has prepared you. The fourth step in becoming a foster carer is the references check. This step is primarily carried out by the foster care organisation, which will make enquires to the local authorities and consult children protection registers to ensure you don't have a criminal past. During this time the foster care organisation will also ask that you have a full medical examination carried out by your GP in order to make sure you are healthy enough to be a foster carer. The organisation will also check your employment and character references as well. Furthermore, a social worker will carry out a full assessment to confirm that you are indeed an ideal foster carer candidate. This usually involves 6-8 personal visits to your home, a training course on fostering, and compiling written examples of your skills/experience into a portfolio. Finally, information will be shared in an official report to a fostering panel of experts from the foster care organisation you're applying with. If the panel determines that you are a good fit for foster caring, then you will receive both a written and verbal response. As you can see, there is a lot involved in the process of becoming a foster carer - however, when you break it down into 5 steps, the process becomes far more manageable. Jesse Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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