Creating a Supportive Community: The Benefits of the Foster Carer Buddy System

Becoming a foster carer can bring many changes to your life and with that you are likely to have many questions. And although there is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to fostering (in fact we would prefer you ask us anything you need) sometimes new carers can feel unsure about reaching out to their social workers with what might feel to them as a ‘stupid question’. That is one of the reasons that we provide all new carers with an experienced carer to become their ‘buddy’.

At Calon Cymru we are extremely lucky to have foster carers in our cohort who have been working as foster carers for many years and with that have an absolute wealth of experience and knowledge that can prove invaluable to new carers.

Why is a buddy important?

As a new carer, it is important to build a strong network around you. Although you may have supportive family and friends around you, and your supervising social worker will be on hand when you need support or advice, having someone ‘in your shoes’ that you can turn to can often make conversations and asking questions feel easier.

We are fortunate here at Calon Cymru that our foster carers have created trusted relationships with other carers in their area. In many cases, these relationships are started and formed around the buddying scheme. Your buddy will have carers that they often work with for support, respite and often they will become friends. From this, new carers can extend their network through introductions to other carers who can also be a source of help and advice.

As you begin your career in foster care you will be introduced to many professionals who will support you through your journey. Each and every one of those people will be a source of information and guidance and will always be happy to answer your questions, but we know that sometimes it can be easier to discuss things more informally with your peers, people who are going through the same things as you or have already experienced this stage of the journey.

We encourage new carers to turn to their buddies for advice and guidance as they will be equipped to provide information from the same viewpoint as the new carer will be experiencing.

Foster carers will often come up against similar issues or go through similar experiences as each other throughout their fostering careers. A buddy can provide advice from first-hand experience of many steps throughout the process.