There are many reasons why someone might want to find a role in the foster care sector. It’s a demanding, challenging type of job to do, and it can literally change lives. For those with the right mindset and personality traits it can be ideal and certainly a job they can hold for life.
What might be confusing is how to start such a job. There are many different routes and options, and it can be a complex decision. Read on to find out about how to get started with a role in foster care, and you might realize that this is the right choice for you after all.
What Is The Job?
There are a variety of different roles in the foster service, so it’s important to understand exactly what it is you want to do and how you want to help. One such option is to be a social worker. The job entails assessing the suitability of potential foster parents, for example, and determining where each child can be placed. You’ll need to be able to understand what everyone’s needs are on both sides and ensure that those needs are being met by connecting the right adults with the right children.
Another part of this role would be to overcome challenges, help vulnerable children, and work out the right way for everyone to come together. Remember that the main aim of fostering is to give children a safe, stable home and to work with the parents and foster parents so that eventually the child can go back to their own parents. If this can’t happen, adoption might be an option. These are questions that a social worker specializing in foster care will need to answer.
What Do You Need For Your Career?
The best way to start this kind of career is with a university degree in social work. This might be a bachelor’s degree, or it could be a diploma or a certificate of qualification. What you study for will depend on where you live, what the requirements are, and how you intend to study, as well as what your ultimate aims are for your career.
Once you have your qualification, it may be that you also need a specialist registration certificate. This means joining an organization that shows you are qualified and that you have passed all the safeguarding requirements to be a social worker in the foster care sector. Much like medical personnel, unless you are a registered social worker, you won’t be able to apply for any jobs, such as the ones available at thefca.co.uk.
There are also many soft skills required to be a social worker in foster care. You will need to be sympathetic and empathetic, you will need to be able to communicate well with adults and children, you will need to be patient and objective, and much more. It’s also useful to have a support network because some days will be very hard and it’s good to have someone to talk to.