When a child first goes to a foster home, they may feel disoriented and frightened. In addition, it is important to understand that foster children come from challenging backgrounds and some of them may have had traumatic experiences. Hence, some of these children may find it difficult to trust the adults, and there may also be some differences in their habits, thinking and behaviours.

This is particularly during the initial periods so foster parents cannot and should not expect the foster child to be held to the same standards as other children. Instead, foster parents should be patient and exercise flexibility when managing their foster children. Foster parents should also be ready to spend time to slowly gain the trust and build a relationship with their foster child.