Foster Carers

[blue4ever]

My Wife And I Were Emergency Foster Cares In Manchester Some Years A Go We Did Not Get A Lot Of Cash For Doing What We Did But The Buzz We Got From Looking After Children Who Need Care Away From There Own Familys Was Good, We Loved Those Children Just As Much As Are Own Children And Payment Was Not Good But We Did It Because We Wanted To Help These Children.

Money Never Ever Came Into It.if You Think You Are Not Getting Enough Off The State To Care For The Children Then Sadly Don`t Do It.

 

 

i`m still here and i`m still waiting a replie to my post unless no one can see my post?????????

[phatram]

FOSTERING IS A CHALLENGING PROFESSION

 

 

08:00 - 23 April 2008

 

 

There is a particular need for people who have the skills and experience to care for children aged 0 to 18 but particularly children 10+, says the xxxxxxx Fostering xxxxxxx.

 

You may wish to look after children for short periods of time or prefer to care for a young person until they reach the stage in their life when they can become independent.

 

Many people do not come forward to foster as they believe they are not eligible, however, the agency is trying to encourage applications from all walks of life.

 

 

You may be married, live as a couple, or be single or divorced.

 

You may be employed, unemployed or retired. You may be a home owner or a tenant.

 

The agency welcomes applications from all ethnic backgrounds, cultures and

 

religions.

 

Being a foster carer is a challenging profession but if people feel they have the skills, patience and space to look after a child the agency urges you to come along to this recruitment event and find out more, alternatively visit the website or telephone for

 

further information.

 

Please note the use of the word "PROFESSION" !!!!!!!!

[PriorityOne]

People/companies/politicians usually rely on all kinds of fancy wording to lure people in, Phatram. Just because your Agency wants to call it a profession, doesn't mean that it's truly recognised as being one.

[phatram]

What do you mean by "truly recognised"?

And it wasn't "my agency" !

It was one of many which now wants PROFESSIONAL foster carers.

[morteee]

ok my 2 pence, fostering is one hell of a difficult job, its undervalued, underpaid and under recognised however phatram one thing about your posting 'tone' concerns me

 

you seem an extremely bitter and angry person and as such maybe its time for you to step back from fostering for a while?

 

I just hope you dont get this visibly angry with the young and vulnerable people you look after

[PriorityOne]

What do you mean by "truly recognised"?

And it wasn't "my agency" !

It was one of many which now wants PROFESSIONAL foster carers.

 

By "truly recognised"... I meant being recognised by whoever you seem to be seeking recognition from.

 

Whether it was your agency or not seems irrelevant but does highlight my point... that some agencies will use the term "professional" to attract would-be carers whilst others, such as yours for example, don't. Maybe they don't need to recruit as many or maybe their PR needs to be more persuasive.

 

Unfortunately, the term "professional" isn't an automatic gateway to more money though.

[phatram]

ok my 2 pence, fostering is one hell of a difficult job, its undervalued, underpaid and under recognised however phatram one thing about your posting 'tone' concerns me

 

you seem an extremely bitter and angry person and as such maybe its time for you to step back from fostering for a while?

 

I just hope you dont get this visibly angry with the young and vulnerable people you look after

 

 

Anger is Good For You | LiveScience

[morteee]

Phatram it may be good for YOU but your anger is hardly constructive for the vulnerable youngsters you care for is it?

 

and lets face it they are the important ones here not you

[phatram]

They don't read this forum !

[blue4ever]

I can only hope that one of your so called friends see your attitude and behavior and report you to the appropriate people(then you won`t have to worry about payments)

[Saffronflowers]

Phatram - this is a public forum and can be viewed by anyone anywhere anytime. By simply googling your user name it will bring this thread up or for that matter foster carers - so unless you can block every internet computer you can not be 100% sure.

 

Bin men are aksed to have a proffesionaL attitude that does not mean that they are professionals.

 

SFx

[Conniff]

This isn't a thread about 'fostering'. This is a thread about phatram, this is a me, me, me thread. This is a thread that says I am right and everyone else is wrong.

[Saffronflowers]

Yup Coniff!!!

 

SFx

[poppynurse]

Coniff you said it all. I hope that this person is not typical of folk who foster

[phatram]

As one of our fellow foster carers once said,

 

 

If I am not a crucial part of the team who works around the child, then what am I? If I am not paid for the time and skills I dedicate to the child I care for, does that mean that my time, those skills and that child are worthless? I am regulated, monitored, assessed and standardised, reviewed and approved.

I write reports, attend meetings, submit forms, keep my paperwork in order, record my days, attend training, as well as wipe noses and bottoms, sing songs and read stories, and act as mother, teacher, taxi driver, counsellor, therapist, nurse, spiritual advisor, confidante, rule giver, cook, nutritionist, careers advisor, pillow, whipping boy, moderator, IT consultant, advocate, bank manager, librarian, encyclopaedia, legal advisor and just be there…

If I am not a professional, does that make me an amateur?

xxx

[blue4ever]

That Makes You A:

 

 

FOSTER PARENT

[phatram]

No shouting please.

[blue4ever]

Is all you have to say.

 

i think you are really sad no really SAD:rolleyes:

[Saffronflowers]

As one of our fellow foster carers once said,

 

 

If I am not a crucial part of the team who works around the child, then what am I? If I am not paid for the time and skills I dedicate to the child I care for, does that mean that my time, those skills and that child are worthless? I am regulated, monitored, assessed and standardised, reviewed and approved.

I write reports,so do I regarding my daughters disability with no support attend meetings,yes once a month in london taking a whole day of my time submit forms ah the glorious DLA keep my paperwork in order erm everyday , record my days,back to the DLA attend training,nobody bothers to support us on this one - it is live and learn as well as wipe noses and bottoms having had a child that could not poo and having to do it physically myself, I think you got of light, sing songs did that but badlyand read storiesyup the Hobbit and Watership Down, and act as mother and father,teacher yup to the extent of correcting the school and the teacher's grammer taxi driver taken them on the bus when money was tight a 3 hr round trip counsellor often with a child who is bullied and a child with a life threatening diseasetherapist phsyio twice a day on good days nurseIV antibiotics to your own child spiritual advisor tried that they were not interest but hey hoconfidante that is a given, rule giver strict disciplinarian but they are great kids cook from scratch 6 days a week nutritionist trying catering for a child that needs 3.5x the calorific intake of everyone else careers advisor I will support them in everything they do pillow sadly lacking but hugs are given when and if they ask whipping boy that is part of being a woman, moderator the UN have nothing on me IT consultant my puter still works advocate ah the parents evening dealing with their dad bank manager yup we are in credit and owe nothing librarian only when the encylopdia (me) is broken encyclopaedia google is a wonderful thinglegal advisor trained CAB advisor with contacts and just be there… that is my major remit

If I am not a professional, does that make me an amateur?I am a rank amateur but unlike you I do not have the choice or the finances. You are no more a proffesional than every other caring parent. Oh and I run my own successful business from home, care for a disabled daughter and support my husband in his career but I do not demand status or money.

As my girls would say "Get over yourself or start knitting"

 

xxx

 

SFx

[Conniff]

wipe noses and bottoms, sing songs and read stories, and act as mother, teacher, taxi driver, counsellor, therapist, nurse, spiritual advisor, confidante, rule giver, cook, nutritionist, careers advisor, pillow, whipping boy, moderator, IT consultant, advocate, bank manager, librarian, encyclopaedia, legal advisor and just be there…

 

Gosh - I've been a foster parent and I never new it.

[Robertxc]

Nobody refers to foster carers as 'foster parents' anymore. Of course fostering is a profession, many colleges do specialist HNC and HND in fostering related subjects. Would anyone suggest that a nursery teacher is not a professional? Arguably all they do is play with little kids all day. As I think has been made clear in earlier parts of this thread foster caring is not like normal parenting. Aside from the many challenges the kids come with, you also have to deal in a professional way with their families as well, and I can assure you that is often way more challenging and difficult than any situation you're ever likely to encounter in most other professions.

 

The posters on this thread who think that fostering is just parenting with a salary have no idea what they're talking about.

[blue4ever]

You want to check this site out then

The National Voice of Foster Parents

 

nobody calls foster carers ---foster parents

 

WHAT--EVER

[Conniff]

I think what has gone wrong with this thread Robert is that the op has only talked about herself/himself and money and not the children.

That has alienated a lot of people including myself and I think that is selfish.

[morteee]

As one of our fellow foster carers once said,

 

 

If I am not a crucial part of the team who works around the child, then what am I? If I am not paid for the time and skills I dedicate to the child I care for, does that mean that my time, those skills and that child are worthless? I am regulated, monitored, assessed and standardised, reviewed and approved.

I write reports, attend meetings, submit forms, keep my paperwork in order, record my days, attend training, as well as wipe noses and bottoms, sing songs and read stories, and act as mother, teacher, taxi driver, counsellor, therapist, nurse, spiritual advisor, confidante, rule giver, cook, nutritionist, careers advisor, pillow, whipping boy, moderator, IT consultant, advocate, bank manager, librarian, encyclopaedia, legal advisor and just be there…

If I am not a professional, does that make me an amateur?

 

xxx

 

 

welcome to parenthood full stop!!!!

 

plus I hold a full time job down, have to negotiate with my sh!t of an ex husband, pay ALL bills myself and dont get any benefits!

[Robertxc]

You want to check this site out then

The National Voice of Foster Parents

 

nobody calls foster carers ---foster parents

 

WHAT--EVER

Hmmm, maybe you should have looked a little closer at this website before posting....

 

The National Foster Parent Association is the only national organization which strives to support foster parents, and remains a consistently strong voice on behalf of all children.

With affiliates in U.S. states and territories, NFPA serves foster families and the children and youth in their care through a network of affiliates.