As a foster carer, every minute of your time is precious. Between caring for your foster child, managing appointments and meetings with social workers, and going to work if you have a job, it can feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day. However, the good news is that there are several strategies you can use to make the most of your time and increase your productivity while prioritizing your foster child. Keep reading for some tips and tricks for busy foster carers who want to get more done in less time.
Explore financial support
Many foster care agencies like Fostering People offer generous financial support packages to foster carers, allowing you to take the focus off work and prioritize caring for your foster child. With the right financial support in place, you may be able to change your working arrangements to work part-time, work more flexible hours, or even give up working altogether so you can focus on being a foster carer by freeing up that time without financial worries.
Establish a routine
Establishing a good routine for your family is one of the best things that you can do as a foster carer, for both you and your foster child. Create a schedule for your daily tasks and stick to it as much as possible. This not only allows you to prioritize your time and make sure that you are not neglecting any important tasks, but it’ll also create a sense of predictability and safety for your foster child.
Use To-Do lists
To-do lists are a small yet very effective strategy that you can use to keep on track of things and manage your time better as a foster parent. Write down all the tasks that you need to accomplish each day and check them off as you go. You might find it helpful to use a planner or even a whiteboard that you can place somewhere prominent in the home such as on the kitchen fridge door. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting side-tracked by other tasks. You can also use technology to your advantage here, with plenty of to-do list or reminder apps that can help with planning.
Delegate tasks
It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you have to do everything yourself as a foster carer, but this is not the case at all. It’s OK to ask for help and encouragement from professionals. If you have supportive, trustworthy family and friends who’ve offered to help you, take them up on that offer. If you have older children in the home, or even if you are fostering a teen, asking them to help out with some basic household tasks like laundry or washing up can be a big help, while giving them the chance to develop important life skills that they’re going to need as adults.
Juggling a lot as a foster carer can leave you feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day. But with the right strategies, you can manage your time better and prioritize the important job of fostering.
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