My decision was finally made
following considerable insight to fostering, witnessing at first hand the role
of a foster carer and its responsibilities that my sister in law undertook.
At that time my brother and
his wife were in the process of adopting a little girl through Ealing Council
and informed me that an ‘open talk day’ was being held. They said it would be a
great opportunity for me to find out more about what Ealing Council was
offering.
They had recommended Ealing
to me as they had a positive experience with their adoption process and found
the staff very helpful and supportive during their assessment.
I decided to take their offer
and attended the talk. I found the discourse most inspiring and informative. I
knew I could do this. The staff
explained at length the assessment period and procedure to become a carer.
Following the talk I signed
up for an induction course. The induction team were friendly and helpful, explaining
in detail what was expected of a foster carer. I really enjoyed the course and
found it interesting listening to different people from various backgrounds
sharing their thoughts and reasons to foster. The course took place over 4 days where we
worked independently as well as engaging in role play group exercises.
Once I was accepted, a
lengthy home assessment was undertaken over a period of several months. This
was quite intensive and our past and present personal lives were examined and
references were taken. I then met with a panel and was successfully accepted.
My experience with Ealing
Council has been a positive one, as it has been for my brother and his wife
during their adoption period.
Four years into fostering I
can confidently say that I’ve had good relations with my support workers and
found them most helpful and understanding when faced with any fostering
concerns or in my personal matters.
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