Children and young people of all ages are in need of a foster home, but some people seem apprehensive about fostering a teenager. Teens, whether in foster care or not, may have a reputation for being hormonal and reclusive at times, but as an adult, you have the empathic advantage of having once been a teen yourself. Fostering a teenager can be an extremely rewarding process, and here are some of the reasons why.

Their independence: Teens thrive on their independence, from being allowed to stay out later, to learning to drive and cooking for themselves; each achievement is seen as a chance to become their own, independent person. Unlike with a child, a teen knows how they should be behaving (whether they do so or not is a different matter), so your job would be to teach them to apply that burgeoning maturity to the rules of your household.

You can relate to them: Although you may not be able to directly relate to everything that has happened in their past, there are likely to be some similarities that you can relate to from your own adolescent years. Often, teenagers resent restrictions being put on them because they feel as though they should be treated like adults. As an adult and former teen yourself, you will be able to relate to this reasoning and this should strengthen your relationship.

The rewards: the chance to foster a teen is a reward in itself – and seeing them learn to put their trust in you can be truly inspiring. Of course, building trust takes time in any situation, but remember that a teen in care may find it even harder to trust people because of their past experiences. Once you start to bond with them it can give you great satisfaction to know that you’ve provided them with a life where they feel both safe and comfortable enough to confide in you.

The support: As with any foster scheme, there is always strong support offered to help you through every stage of the process, so you’re never on your own. Fostering Solutions offers all the information you’ll need when it comes to becoming a foster  carer, as well as specific information about looking after a teen and case studies, experiences and stories from people who have done so in the past.

Teens in comparison to children: Young children often need your undivided attention, and although a teen will still very much need your advice and guidance, they may already have a certain amount of knowledge when it comes to living with different people and being independent.

Deciding whether to foster can be a very difficult decision to make, but there is a lot of support out there to help you make that decision. Visit Gov.co.uk for more help and advice about fostering.

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