Valuing Transferable Skills in Foster Care
When it comes to fostering, many people may think it requires a very specific set of skills. In reality, no skills or experienced are actually required to become a foster carer as full training and support will be provided. However, you may already have skills and experience that align with fostering that could enhance your ability to make a difference to children’s lives.
There are a number of professions that align more obviously with fostering. For example, working within the care sector, or simply working with young people in a previous role. These all share a core skillset, centred on care, communication and compassion. You will be experienced in adapting to the needs of another person, and accustomed to handling situations in a calm, patient and measured manner.
Even if you haven’t worked in a sector with a direct parallel to fostering, you may still have transferable skills that you can use to enhance your abilities as a foster carer. Teamwork, a structured and organised approach, and the ability to learn new skills are just some of the qualities present in most roles that can be brought across into fostering.
Let’s look at three skills or traits you may already have:
1. A caring disposition
One of the most important character traits we look for in potential new foster carers is a caring disposition.
This is a person’s inherent tendency to show kindness, empathy, and concern for another human being. Someone with a caring disposition is often attentive to the emotional, physical, or social needs of others and is driven by compassion to help, listen, and provide support.
People with a caring disposition typically exhibit the following qualities:
Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others, often leading to providing support or assistance
Patience: A willingness to give others time, especially when they are struggling or going through difficult situations
Kindness: A genuine interest in being considerate, gentle, and helpful towards others
Active listening: The ability to listen attentively and with care, showing genuine interest in what others have to say
Compassion: A deep concern for the wellbeing of others
Non-judgmental attitude: An open and accepting mindset that allows a person to offer support without criticism or prejudice
Many other professions require these qualities daily, such as those working in social care or in the teaching sector. For example, those in the care sector aren’t just accustomed to providing practical support. They understand the significance of building trust, providing a listening ear, and offering reassurance.
A caregiver’s ability to recognise and respond to emotional cues can be life-changing for children in foster care. Young people often need time to heal and adjust to their new environment, and the empathetic, patient nature of caregivers makes them suited for this role. They would also understand the importance of advocating for a child’s needs and ensuring that their emotional wellbeing is prioritised, which can help children settle in a new environment.
Those with teaching experience are skilled in creating structured, supportive environments that promote emotional growth and social development. They are experienced in identifying individual needs, providing personalised guidance and adapting to different situations. All these qualities align perfectly with fostering – helping to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for children to develop and thrive.
The drive to want to care for and support another human being is not limited to those professions mentioned above, but a caring disposition is a highly sought after transferable skill.
“Glyn and I worked in care for 35 years, helping people with learning disabilities and special needs, while bringing up our four children. Having learnt a lot from those years, we decided to foster.”
Debbie & Glyn, TACT foster carers since 2018
2. Caring for young people with complex needs
Many young people in care have experienced past trauma. Past trauma refers to psychological, emotional, or physical harm that may have occurred in the past, often resulting from distressing or overwhelming situations. In the context of young people, this could be because of abuse or neglect.
These experiences can have lasting effects on a person’s mental health leading to anxiety, depression, and difficulty forming healthy relationships. It may also affect a person’s thought patterns, behaviours and perceptions. The key point to make here is that past trauma can shape responses to future challenges.
However, in addition to past trauma, young people may have other needs due to a condition. These could include ADHD, FASDs and Autism – along with physical disabilities.
Experience in caring for children, or even adults, with additional complex needs is a valuable transferrable skill – because you will already have the lived-in experience of making a difference with those skills. The training you would receive as a foster carer would contextualise your skills and align them with fostering.
Foster carers who can provide care to those young people with complex needs are highly sought.
3. Working as a team around a child
Whilst foster carers may provide day-to-day care and support, they are part of a ‘team around a child’ – a group of people who work together to make decisions and form care plans in the best interests of a particular young person. It is important to highlight that the child is also a key member of this team.
Other people or departments in this team can include: the young person’s birth family, social workers, and education and health professionals.
Working as part of a team is essential as a foster carer, and whilst there are many roles in the care and children’s sectors that have obvious parallels with fostering, teamwork is something required of most professions.
As a foster carer you would bring your skills into a collaborative environment, where the shared responsibility of supporting a child’s emotional, physical, and educational growth will be paramount. Interprofessional communication will provide foster carers with the understanding of a young person’s needs, enabling them to provide care to achieve the best outcomes for the child.
What skills could you bring?
If becoming a foster carer is something you have been considering, you may have already identified the qualities you could bring to enhance or simply align with fostering. Previous experience in a care or education role could bring across valuable skills, enabling you to care for young people with more complex needs.
However, it is also important to acknowledge that foster care is inclusive and diverse and requires people from all walks of life, where universal skills and experience are valued and utilised.
With full foster carer training provided, along with 24/7 support, fostering should not feel out of reach for anyone. So if you have considered becoming a foster carer, ask yourself: what skills could YOU bring?