Family holidays are designed for relieving stress, having fun, and enjoying new experiences. Naturally, this sounds like an experience that your foster child should have, but you must communicate with the relevant bodies to find out if it’s possible. Before you book any holiday with your foster child, have a read through the following guide.
Government Regulations and Agency Care Plans
The government has extensive documentation on what the standards for fostering in the UK look like, and they go into detail about taking foster children on holiday – “children can stay overnight, holiday with friends, or friends and relatives of their foster carer.”
After reading that, you’ve probably concluded that any holiday you plan will be acceptable. However, this rule is only a guideline, and it needs to be taken into consideration alongside each foster child’s care plan. Therefore, the best way to do this is to head over to your agency’s website, like orangegrovefostercare.co.uk, and get in touch with the relevant people.
Holiday Expenses
Holidays can be super expensive, and they’re even more so when an extra person is going. However, you shouldn’t let the cost of a holiday put you off going, as you will receive support for your foster children.
Accommodation
Foster carers are required to give any children in their care a bedroom of their own, meaning sharing same-room accommodation on a holiday won’t be suitable. To work out the logistics of your holiday, you can liaise with your caseworker because they will have a wealth of knowledge and experience on the topic.
Domestic or International
Having a holiday abroad is the perfect way to allow your foster children to gain first-hand experiences with different cultures, which can be an essential lifelong lesson in acceptance. However, travelling abroad will be more complicated because you will be taking them out of the country, which means more paperwork to fill out and permissions to seek. It may also be too overwhelming for the child in your care. Therefore, a holiday in the UK may be a fantastic alternative that suits their needs a little better.
Foster Child Safety
Foster children come from various traumatic backgrounds, meaning their needs will be unique and can limit their ability to take part in some of the activities. Keep this in the back of your mind while you’re on holiday because it’s your responsibility to keep them safe. Additionally, as you’ll be taking them out of their routine a comfort zone, you will likely need to offer more reassurance.
Alternative Ideas
Via seagoinggreen.org/blog/4-tips-for-an-eco-friendly-staycation
Regardless of how valuable a holiday will be for your foster child, you may not be in a position to make it happen. In this case, there’s nothing wrong with using your home as a base and having a staycation.
A family holiday will better the life of a foster child, but there are several regulations that need to be checked first. The best person to contact is your caseworker, who can answer any questions you may have.