How to foster
What are the benefits of fostering with an independent fostering agency?
Becoming A Foster Carer
Benefits of becoming a foster parent
What is a Care Leaver?
What is a Foster Carer?
What is Foster Care?
Do I become a Foster Carer?
Fostering Regulations
How to Foster a Child
How long does it take to become a Foster Carer?
How to foster – everything you ever wanted to know
Facts about Foster Care
What are the Foster Care requirements?
Foster Care Handbook
Foster Carer Job Description
Changing IFA - Transferring to Capstone
Fostering Definition
Foster Care Statistics
Fostering Assessment
Fostering Outcomes
Fostering Stories
Fostering Children UK
Children needing Fostering
Reasons for a child to be taken into Care
Fostering as a Career
Looked after Children
Top transferable job skills to become a foster carer
Can I foster if...?
Mythbusting the top 10 Foster Care Myths
Can I foster if I am disabled?
LGBT Fostering Mythbusting
Can I foster if I have pets?
Can I Foster A Child?
Can you Foster and Work?
Can you Foster with a Criminal Record
Fostering as a Single Parent
LGBT Family and Foster Care
Fostering across Cultures
Empty Nest Syndrome and Foster Care
10 things you can do when your Children fly the nest
Can I Foster?
Fostering Babies - Myth Busting
Focusing on Parent & Child Fostering
Fostering Siblings
Fostering Teenagers
Fostering Teenagers - Breaking down the Myths
Fostering Unaccompanied and Asylum Seeking Children
Mother and Baby Foster Placements
Private Fostering
Therapeutic Fostering - Multi-disciplinary Assessment & Treatment Service (MATS)
Young Children Fostering Placements
Difference between short and long-term fostering
Children who foster: impact of fostering on birth children
How to prepare your home for a foster child
Tips for coping when foster placements end
Tips for foster parents during Coronavirus
How to deal with empty nest syndrome
How to recognise signs of depression in foster children
Can you take a foster child on holiday?
Tips and advice on fostering with a disability
10 tips on connecting with your Foster Child
Fostering versus Adoption - What's the difference?
How Fostering can change a future
How to adopt from Foster Care
How to encourage children to read in Foster Care
How to prepare a Foster Child's bedroom
Online grooming - unwanted contact and how to identify it
Reading and storytelling with Babies and young Children
Supporting Children's Learning
Technology and Internet Safety advice
The 20 most recommended books Foster Carers and young people should read
The impact of early childhood traumas on adolescence and adulthood
Tips for coping with attachment disorders in Foster Children
Tips for supporting reunification in Foster Care
Together for a better Internet - Web Safety for Foster Children
What is sexual abuse and sexual violence
Foster Child behaviour management strategies
Foster Parent Advice: What to expect in your first year of fostering
Capstone's twelve tips at Christmas
10 celebrities who grew up in Foster Care
Celebrating our Children and Young People
Could Millenials be the solution to the Foster Care crisis?
Do you work in Emergency Services?
Form F Assessor
Foster Care Fortnight
Improving Children's Welfare - Celebrating Universal Children's Day
It's time to talk about Mental Health and Foster Care
New Year - New Career - Become a Foster Carer
Promoting the rights and wellbeing of persons with Disabilities
Refugee Week
Young people and Mental Health in a changing world
Young People Charities
But of course, any foster family would want to ensure the transition is made as smooth as possible so that the foster child soon feels at home. So, where’s the best place to start? The foster child’s bedroom.
Their bedroom will be a place of sanctuary where they can feel safe, spend time on their own and retreat to if they need a break away from daily life. Therefore, ensuring the foster child’s bedroom is kitted out to their personal preference is essential to making them feel like they’re at home.
However, firstly it’s important to know the do’s and don’ts for foster child bedrooms, such as ‘can a foster child share a bedroom?’ The requirements state:
As well as being at least 21 years of age and being in good health, learn more about foster care requirements for looking after a young person in care.
When thinking about preparing a foster child’s bedroom, firstly you need to consider a few things:
If your foster child is older than ten years old, it’s likely they’ll want different things in their bedroom to those of a younger age. Kitting out their bedroom with toys and decorating it pink or blue probably won’t be the right path to go down.
When it comes to decorating older foster children’s bedrooms, the best way to approach this is to keep it simple. That way, when they move in, you can let them choose how they want their bedroom decorated. Adding in some small touches like bedding, cushions, throws or beans bags can make them feel like it’s homely. So, when it comes to decorating the room, keep it plain and you can make an activity out of decorating it together when they move in.
You’re also likely to have a better idea of their likes and interests once you’ve spent a bit more time together. Pre-empting that they’ll be football fans or assuming they like gaming can be a risky choice – as, although it can be seen as a nice thing to do, the children may feel like they’re being categorised without being properly known and may react badly to presumptuous opinions about their personality. With younger children, it’s easier to preempt what they’ll like, as they may not quite know themselves yet, but with older children, it’s best to keep the foster child’s bedroom as simple as possible and let them decorate it how they like.
Whether you’re decorating for younger foster children, or you’re working together with older foster children to decorate their room, it’s important to get a feel for what they like. This can include colours of the walls/wallpaper; furnishings – such as bedside tables and chest of drawers; carpet – colour preference or whether they’d prefer laminate flooring; curtains or blinds; and more. When it comes down to the actual decoration of your foster child’s bedroom, Pinterest have some amazing ideas to explore.
It’s also important to remember to not overwhelm them. Although you may want to create the perfect space for your foster child, buying too much or going overboard on toys and decoration can be daunting for a foster child – especially if they are used to having very little. Ensure first and foremost they have a space to play; the room is clean and tidy; and you’re focussing less on material goods.
Need any more advice on foster care bedroom requirements or ideas for decorating? Our helpful team are always on hand to provide expert support to all of our foster carers. Find out more helpful tips and advice from our Knowledge Centre guides now.
Our team of friendly fostering advisors are on hand to answer any questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is right for you.
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