The holiday seasons can be interesting times for foster carers. There are likely to be behavioral triggers to navigate, and a whole load of excitement to balance out as well. There is always the opportunity to have a lot of fun, but the key focus must always be the safety of your foster child or children. This is never more true than on Halloween when the potential for mischief and trouble is heightened. Here’s how to handle it well.
Talk it Through with Them
There is a strong possibility that your foster children have a specific idea when it comes to how they want to celebrate Halloween. It will be your job to talk this through with them and set realistic expectations. You may not be able to deliver exactly what they want, and there is no real way to tell if their tale is true anyway. However, what you can do is reframe their requests so that they suit their new routine and updated agenda.
Context is Key
Handling the holidays like this one will be different depending on whether you are long term fostering, emergency carers, or just in a short-term placement. With long term foster models, it is easier to manage big things like this because you have a rapport, a relationship, and a foundation to build up. It is best to take advice from your social worker when it comes to shorter stays because they will have the most authority and insight into what is appropriate.
Think About Their Age
Age is important because it determines the type of activity your foster child is going to want to do. For example, a teenager is less likely to want to go trick-or-treating, but a primary aged child would be excited about this. Be responsive to their demographic, and make sure any plan that comes to life is tailored to them.
Set Safety Rules
This is especially important when children are going out alone or in a group with another adult. It is always a good idea to stick with your foster children unless agreed otherwise with your social working team. However, safety rules are still relevant and essential. This could be things like setting a curfew, and talking about what to do if they get in trouble.
Be Active and Mindful
You will also have to be heavily involved in managing how much sugar they eat. Everyone knows too much sugar is never a good thing for children. Not only can it lead to a whole load of health problems, but it is detrimental to their mental well-being too. Help them handle the load by having rules in place for what happens with their Halloween sweet treats.
Collaborate with Parents and Carers
One thing that works well is reaching out to the foster care community and seeing if anyone has any particular plans. There might be a party with their peers that you don’t know about, and now is the time to learn the specifics. Plus, you could always plan something to better control the environment if you have the time and space!
Handling a holiday like Halloween requires a steep thought process. Make sure they are safe and stay on top of sugar intake.
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