Moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do, and we understand that foster carers won’t take the decision lightly. However, when you foster a child, their well-being and happiness should always be at the centre of such a huge decision.
In this article, we explore fostering and moving house in more detail, including the impact it could have on your foster child’s relationships, education, and sense of stability.
Can you move house with a foster child?
Yes, you can move house when you’re fostering a child, but whether it’s feasible or not depends on how it could affect the child in your care.
Your child’s social worker, along with every person involved in their care, will work together to assess the impact moving will have on them, considering details such as:
Is it the right time?
If you do decide to move house, it will cause some disruption to every family member. However, there are some ‘better’ times to move and others that may make the upheaval even more difficult for a child in care.
Children in care need stability and routine, so if you plan on moving within the first 12 months of fostering a child, you may need to wait until after the move before welcoming a child into your home.
Other life events will be considered too. For example, if your foster child is sitting exams, moving during this pivotal time could impact their grades and affect their future outcomes.
The type of fostering also plays a part in whether it’s the right time to move house or not. If you foster a child on a short-term basis, their social worker may prefer you to wait until the child has left your care before moving house. If you foster a child long-term, and they’ve been thriving in your care for a number of years, the move may have less of an impact than it would on a child who has been living with you for less time.
Will your child need to change schools?
If you plan to move outside your current area, your foster child may need to change schools. It’s important to remember that children in care often have to switch schools when they move into care, leaving behind friendships, support, and teachers they may have liked. So, going through the process again requires special consideration.
That’s why, before you move, questions about your child’s education may be raised, including:
- How will the child in your care be supported through the transition?
- If they have specialist needs, will the new school be able to accommodate them?
- How will changing schools impact their academic progress?
- How will it impact their friendships?
- How do they feel about moving schools?
Will your child be able to maintain relationships?
When moving house, another thing to consider is the impact it could have on your foster child’s relationships and family time arrangements. If you plan to stay in the same area, it’s unlikely that their relationships will be affected. However, if you want to move further away, contact with their friends, siblings, parents, and extended family could become trickier to navigate.
For example, it could mean liaising with more than one local authority to organise family time. Travel times could also make current arrangements unsustainable. If the frequency of family time meetings needs reviewing, the well-being of your foster child will always be at the centre of decisions.
Is your new home suitable for your foster child?
During the fostering assessment, we assess your home to ensure it’s safe and suitable for the child in your care. When you move, we’ll need to review your new home in the same way.
This includes completing a risk assessment and ensuring you have a spare bedroom. We also need to make sure the living areas within the home are big enough for every family member to live comfortably.
If you want to move to a property that needs considerable improvement, it may not be suitable for your foster child. Renovations can cause a huge amount of disruption, putting children at risk and preventing them from feeling safe and settled at home.
How does your foster child feel about the move?
If you’re thinking about moving, your foster child’s social worker will want to know how they feel about it to ensure they receive the support they need. Children in care have often experienced a lot of upheaval in their lives, with decisions about where they live and who they live with made for them without their input.
That’s why it’s important to talk to your child about the possibility of moving house, giving them the time and space to process their feelings. They may feel excited about living in a new home, but they could also feel anxious or upset about the change.
Including them in such a big decision could also help put them at ease and reassure them that they are part of your family and that their thoughts and feelings matter.
At FCA Scotland, we offer individualised support for children in foster care, ensuring they always feel heard and included in decisions that affect their lives.
Is moving the right decision for you?
Moving house can be chaotic. If you’re selling your home and buying another, you’ll have to deal with the disruption of house viewings, liaising with solicitors, and living out of boxes as the move date draws near. If you’re renting, you may have to allow others to view your home while finding a new, suitable place to live.
It can take up a lot of your time and energy, which may be tricky to manage on top of your fostering responsibilities and other commitments. So, it’s important to make sure that moving house is right for you as well as for the child in your care – otherwise, you could be at risk of burnout.
We’re here to provide the support you need
At FCA Scotland, we know life can take our foster carers in many directions. Maybe you want to move for a change of scenery, access to better schools, or to upsize so you can foster more children. Whatever the reason, we’ll support both you and your foster child when you’re making the decision and through the transition with our Team Parenting model.
You’ll receive therapeutic training and have access to joint therapy sessions and consultations, helping you better support your foster child through change. We also host events, activities, support groups, and meet-ups where you can connect with other foster carers who have moved while fostering. They may be able to offer advice about managing the transition based on their own experiences.
Next steps
If you’re thinking about moving house while you have a child in your care, the first step is to talk to your supervising social worker. They’ll guide you through the process and offer advice on what happens next.
If you’re considering fostering but hope to move soon, you can still start the fostering process. However, you may need to wait until you’ve moved to welcome a child into your home.
For more information about moving while fostering or for details about becoming a foster carer, including fostering allowances, support, and training you’ll receive, please get in touch. Together, we can #KeepThePromise and improve the lives of children and young across Scotland and beyond.
