Embarking on a journey in foster care is a compassionate and life-changing decision. It allows individuals and families to provide vulnerable children with a safe and nurturing environment, helping them navigate through challenging circumstances.
Yet, one common query prospective foster caregivers often have is, “Do I need a spare room for foster care?” Let’s delve into this question to gain a comprehensive understanding of the requirements and considerations associated with foster care.
One of the major criteria for becoming a foster carer is your ability to provide a safe, nurturing, and comfortable environment for your child. This means not only ensuring a cheerful home, but also giving your child their own space in which to grow.
For your child, this means having their own room in which they can sleep, study, and relax. As such, it is essential to have a spare room when fostering a child of any age.
You can always read about Fostering requirements online for spare rooms, the reasoning behind giving your child their own space, and some tips for getting that spare room into tip-top shape.
What counts as a spare room for fostering?
So, what exactly are the criteria when it comes to having a spare room and fostering? First things first – if you are going to foster a child, you will need to have a habitable spare room in your home. Fostering without a spare room is not possible. While there are no size requirements for the room, it must be big enough to fit a bed and some furniture (for storage of clothes, etc).
For children under fourteen, the room must be on the same floor as the carers’ room. If you are fostering a baby, they may sleep in your room with you – however, you will still need a room for them, as they grow up quick! If you are fostering siblings under five, they can share a room – siblings over five can also share a room, provided they are of the same gender as their roommate.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the criteria, don’t worry – as part of our initial social worker visit, we assess the suitability of the rooms you intend to use while fostering. We’ll talk you through what it required and how you can manage.
Why does my child need a spare room in foster care?
As a foster carer, your primary function is to ensure a level of both physical and mental comfort for your child. This is worth recalling as you find yourself wondering “can I foster without a spare room?” We all need our own space – somewhere we can go to get away from everything, switch off our brains, and just be at peace.
For your child, this space is their bedroom – a safe space in a world that can be confusing or disorienting to them, especially in the first few days or weeks of their time with you. By giving your child their own space, you are allowing them a reprieve from the multitude of changes they have undergone in their fostering journey.
Why can’t your child share their safe bedroom space with someone else, you ask? While it may seem practical (and welcoming) to place your foster child in a room with your birth children, this creates more problems than it solves.
Fostering a child is all about creating a sense of security – adding another person into the mix can cause tension (over possessions and space), be a trigger for anxiety and confusion, or can cause issues around privacy.
As a foster carer, you are offering your child safety, security, and privacy – things they may not have had in their previous environment. You are making them feel at home. Part of this process is giving them their own space in which to feel safe.
How should I prepare my spare room for my child’s arrival?
While decorating their room is something we recommend doing after their arrival, it helps to have the basics in place before they get there. Highlighting the decoration process as an act of connection and bonding.
Having a room of your own is a special thing – it’s your place, and your place alone. As such, it’s important to recognise this when you’re doing up your foster child’s bedroom. This is a place for them to feel safe, to feel protected – a place where they can, most importantly, be themselves.
With all that in mind, it can be difficult to know where to start when you’re decorating your foster child’s bedroom. Luckily, here are a few tips and tricks to follow along below:
- Be Patient
- Start Simple
- Let the Foster Child Help
- Try Out Some of Our Decorations Ideas
If you’re feeling inspired, be sure to check out Pinterest for ideas on how to decorate your foster child’s bedroom. Before you know it, you’ll be giving Dermot Bannon a run for his money!
You’ll get all the information you need to turn your spare room into the perfect space for your foster child on the Fostering website which provides more tips and tricks for a child in foster care.
A comfortable bed, some fresh sheets and fluffy pillows are necessary. If possible, source a small work desk, where they can do homework, draw, or work on other creative projects (with the advent of work from home due to COVID-19, there are tonnes of great deals on office furniture out there now).
If you’re going to buy all the furnishings new, our tip would be to choose neutral colours – this way, you and your child can customise the walls and accessories in whatever colour you choose, allowing them to add their own pop of personality to their safe haven.
Foster care is about providing a loving and stable environment for children in need, with the presence of a spare room being just one factor in achieving this vital goal.
Becoming a foster parent is a very rewarding experience.
