The day your foster child arrives in your home is probably the worst day of her life. Most children, regardless of the circumstances of their removal, want to be at home–and that does not mean your home. It helps to start your fostering experience with this understanding.
When a child arrives they may have a variety of emotions ranging from terrified, angry, and often guilty. No one is at their best with this stew of emotions. The children already in your home are also facing a big adjustment. Flexibility is key, especially within the first few weeks a new foster child is in your home. The child’s world is topsy-turvy and you will have less information and control than you want. Prepare for this by lowering expectations.
Creating a Family has many resources that will help foster parents prepare for Welcoming a New Foster Child. A few of those resources that you might find helpful are:
- The IDEAL Response: How to Maintain Connection When Correcting Your Child (blog post)
- 4 Tips to Raising Anti-Racist Kids (extended blog post with linked resources)
- Tips for Raising an LGBTQ Foster or Adopted Child (blog post)
- Disrupting Birth Order in Adoption and Foster Care (1 hr. radio interview w/ expert)
- Parenting Tweens and Teens (1 hr. radio interview w/ expert)
- Adopting or Fostering a Child Who Identifies as LGBTQ (1 hr. radio interview w/ guest experts)
Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the many other resources we have on Welcoming a New Foster Child in the form of blogs/articles, radio shows/podcasts, tip sheets, fact sheets and expert Q & A’s.
Additional Resources
