Faith and culture is incredibly important in the fostering community. Children who have experienced traumatic events want to feel normal, represented and safe in the homes they are living in, whether this is just a short term process or a long term stay, learning about your cultural background will give someone a sense of identity, something that these children could really benefit from. Culture is a vital part of a person and it is important that children get to experience and learn about their own in a safe, stable environment.
Why is an understanding important?
Understanding a child’s religious and cultural background is vital in then getting to understand their wants and needs and being able to generate a sense of belonging, to make them feel accepted and respected in this new environment. To further cultivate a sense of belonging and integration into the foster family, you could look into connecting with religious communities, to create a network of culture and identity for the child to feel as though they belong.
How do you honour faith and ethnicity of foster children in your home?
In ensuring a children of a range of ethnicities feel comfortable in you home is in understanding how their physical needs differ from your own and change depending on the ethnicity of the child you foster.
One example of this is in haircare. The structure and texture of a black child’s hair are very different to that of a Caucasian child, for example. This means that they will need a completely different haircare routine to protect their hair and avoid damaging it.
This is why it is important to do some research into what routine will be best for your foster child and look potentially into hairdressers who are experienced with their individual style of hair
Proper research makes all the difference in ensuring your foster child feels valued and respected in your home.
Another aspect of meeting a child’s cultural needs in fostering is respecting their religion. Some may wish to continue practicing their faith while others may not want to engage with religion.
Ways to support your foster child in their faith.
There are a few simple ways you can support a child you are fostering if they wish to continue practicing their faith. These could include:
- researching and implementing dietary restrictions such as only eating halal meat in Islam and finding a way to support that in the meals you cook while the child is under your care.
- asking if they want to go to their place of worship (mosque, synagogue , church, etc)
- honouring their religious attire, such as hijabs, turbans, sari. Potentially going shopping for these items together.
If your foster child has decided against practicing a religion, that does not mean they wont ever change their mind on the subject. This is why it is important to keep the conversation open so the child feels comfortable coming to you if that time comes. Faith in fostering is really just about celebrating and respecting religion.