The importance of religion and culture in fostering

World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of January every year. The celebration seeks to promote understanding and respect among various faiths, encouraging us to focus on the commonalities and shared values between them, in turn helping to build bridges, and creating a more peaceful and tolerant world for us all.

Having foster carers from various religions and cultural backgrounds is very important to us. The matching process between a foster child and a foster carer is something that we take very seriously at Calon Cymru. Foster carers with the same background and/or religion as the children and young people in their care are well suited to providing them with a supportive environment to cultivate a sense of identity, belonging, and acceptance. They will likely already understand some of their needs, including dietary requirements, religious holidays, and practices. This can be invaluable to the development of these children and young people, allowing them to understand their own culture and beliefs better, and build self-confidence.

This isn’t to say that as a foster carer, you will always be matched with children and young people from the same cultural and/or religious background as yourself. There are plenty of children and young people happily and successfully living with foster carers from different religious or cultural backgrounds to their own.

What is most important to enable these placements to succeed is that the foster carers and young people are comfortable, open, and willing to learn from each other. For the foster carer to provide a supportive and nurturing environment they may need to learn about different cultures and religions and be able to provide support and guidance to the child or young person throughout their time with them.

Being a good listener is an essential skill for a foster carer to have, and when caring for a young person from a different background to yourself, it is crucial to hear them and take on board what they say. Our specially tailored training programme aims to boost and develop your existing skills, as well as your knowledge, in turn, building your confidence and achieving your potential as a foster carer.

Calon Cymru welcomes individuals and couples from all cultural backgrounds and religions to join our amazing team of foster carers. We are committed to ensuring that children and young people from all backgrounds and religions across South and West Wales have the opportunity to grow and thrive in a safe, caring, and loving environment. This World Religion Day, make a change and enquire to foster.