A Guide to Supporting Highly Anxious Foster Children

Supporting Highly Anxious Foster Children - A Guide for Carers

Discover practical strategies to help children feel safe, secure, and supported.

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For foster children, anxiety isn’t just a passing emotion—it’s a learned response to instability and fear. By building trust and creating a safe, predictable environment, you can help them begin to heal.

Caring for a Highly Anxious Foster Child Can Feel Overwhelming

Foster children often experience deep-rooted anxiety due to past trauma, instability, and uncertainty about the future. This anxiety can show up in many ways—difficulty sleeping, emotional outbursts, withdrawal, or struggles with school and friendships.

For children in care, anxiety is more than just nervousness—it’s a survival response. Their brains remain in a constant state of high alert, expecting the next disruption or rejection.

  • Why won’t they settle, even when they’re safe?
  • Why do they get upset over seemingly small things?
  • How can I help them trust me and feel secure?

 

If these questions sound familiar, you’re not alone. This guide will help you understand anxiety in foster children and provide simple, effective strategies to support them.

Why Do Foster Children Experience Such High Levels of Anxiety?

Many foster children have faced multiple losses, instability, and trauma—all of which contribute to heightened anxiety.

Key Triggers That Fuel Anxiety:

  • Insecurity in Placements – Fear of being moved again, difficulty settling in.
  • Past Trauma – Neglect, abuse, or witnessing violence can leave children in a state of constant fear.
  • Loss & Separation – Being apart from biological family—even in cases of neglect—can be deeply distressing.
  • Uncertainty About the Future – Worries about reunification, adoption, or staying long-term.
  • Difficulty Forming Attachments – Previous disruptions may make it hard for children to trust new carers.

 

Many foster children operate in survival mode, making it difficult for them to relax, engage, or believe that they are truly safe.

In this downloadable resource, you’ll learn:

  1. How to Understand Anxiety & Trauma in Foster Children – Learn how trauma impacts the brain and why anxiety can feel overwhelming for children in care.
  2. The Power of Connection Before Correction – Discover why relationship-building must come first before trying to manage behaviour.
  3. Practical Strategies for Calming an Anxious Child – Step-by-step approaches to help children feel safe, regulate emotions, and reduce stress.
  4. How do Recognise the Signs of Anxiety – Learn how anxiety presents differently in foster children and how to respond with empathy.
  5. How to Reduce Anxiety Triggers – Understand how daily routines, predictability, and small changes can make a huge difference.
  6. Step-by-Step Scripts for Common Anxiety-Driven Behaviours – Get ready-to-use responses for meltdowns, school avoidance, bedtime struggles, and more.
  7. The Role of Self-Care for Carers – Supporting anxious children can be emotionally draining—this guide includes ways to care for yourself, too.

Click the blue button below to Download the Guide

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