Fostering stories

It’s about rewards and goals. Make the goals a bit higher each time, and persevere. Fostering is challenging but you know what – it’s rewarding as well. Some young people come to you with nothing, they’ve never had anything. They’ve never had any routine before. To see them flourish is fantastic!

Hear about being a foster carer first hand; "You can achieve what you want to achieve!

“You’re probably too young to remember but it was the plight of the Vietnamese boat people that first got my husband and I interested in helping children,” says Stockport foster carer Glenys. “Because they were repatriated rather than fostered or adopted we couldn’t help them directly.

“But the idea of children that were in desperate need certainly opened our eyes the idea of fostering as a way of making a difference.”

Josh is part of a special sports club and enters competitions at a regional level. He’s been in foster care since he was little. When he arrived with his current carers he didn’t speak and had some challenging behaviours. His foster carers have received training to help them create routines and boundaries that give him a sense of security.

Josh’s foster carer says; ‘What stuck most were his eyes. They appeared dull like a candle with an odd flicker. Now over the years his eyes are shining bright and have a beautiful sparkle.’

Elle Mae was then an enormous help in preparing her foster sister for the transition to her adoptive family. She made her an audio photo album as well as a memory box full of tactile things so that the little girl could feel them and remember the special things that she loved to do.

Lauren and Danny have been fostering for almost five years. They currently foster an older child and a teenager and have a six month old baby of their own. Both placements they have are long term, “they’re part of our family,” and having a baby has helped “cement” the family and the given the boys a role as older brothers.

‘I enjoy their company from just having a chat to taking part in activities together.’ Susan is in her late fifties and has been fostering for five years.

‘We were concerned that our religious beliefs would mean we wouldn’t be approved as foster carers, but thankfully this is not the case. Because we have been especially non-judgemental, patient and firm but kind, young people who have some behavioural problems have been able to thrive and be happy in our home. It is a safe calm place away from school which helps those who struggle there.’

Gill and Roger are 44 and 54 years old respectively and have children who are now teenagers. They decided the time was right to share their home with other children who are in need of a safe and happy place.  They really want to do all they can to make a difference to a young person’s life, and have now been fostering for 1.5 years.

Not everything was plain sailing when their foster daughter first came to live with them, it took some time for their whole family to become accustomed to their new situation.  However, the family worked together to adjust to everyone’s needs.

Regular visits, being part of a team and personalised support for both Sheila and her foster son Tom* – that’s the benefits of fostering for Salford City Council. 

Sheila, who began fostering four years ago with a private agency, said the support she now receives from focus in comparison to the agency is excellent.

“My cousin fostered so it was always something I wanted to do and went to the same agency they were with,” said Sheila who lives in Manchester.

Jason Brooks and wife Nikki, recruited in the last fostering campaign in 2010, have fostered ten children since becoming foster parents. The couple, who have two birth children of their own, Declan and Ellie, are short term foster parents for children who come into care and need a short-term solution to domestic or parental issues.

Chloe has very few family members and lost her mother when she was a baby. Like lots of teenagers she loves Justin Bieber and seeing her friends. She’s not keen on being found out when she’s been fibbing about why she’s back late or the spicy food her foster carers enjoy.

“We came to fostering after seeing and advert in our local newspaper,” says Angela a carer from Halton in Merseyside. “We did the training, got assessed and within nine months we had two boys living with us. It really was that simple.

“I’m not going to deny it wasn’t a steep learning curve,” she continues. “But the two boys are still with us now aged 17 and 19. One’s doing his A-levels and the other’s at college. They make me so proud because of what they’re achieving in their lives.”

‘We had a five bedroom house so had no excuse for not having enough room!’ Anne and Peter are foster carers for a brother and sister. Anne worked with children but felt that she wanted to do more with her skills.

‘We enjoy seeing the children develop and grow and knowing that the changes we are seeing in their behaviour, their attainment at school and their personal values are largely down to us and our providing consistent care.’

Sean and Karen had previously fostered for a private agency but transferred to Bolton because they felt that only a Local Authority could offer them the professional support they needed when fostering teenage boys.

Previously Sean has cared for a high profile unaccompanied minor who had come from Afghanistan, Gulwali Passarlay. Gulwali has gone on to write books about his experiences detailing his journey fleeing from the conflict that had claimed his father’s life.

Olivia is 8 years old and is a bubbly character who is always laughing and singing. Olivia’s foster carers describe her as “very bright, sweet and beautiful”. They add that Olivia has a good sense of humour and charms them with her funny little sayings. Olivia enjoys music, singing and dancing and since being in foster care is becoming much more confident in trying new things, she has developed an interest in cooking since being with her current carers and enjoys spending time in the kitchen.

This LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week Alec and Kenny tell us why they're #proudtofoster

Alec and Kenny were inspired to become foster carers through Kenny’s work with children with behavioural issues, knowing that many of the children he worked with came from difficult backgrounds and now foster Matthew, a 16 year old with severe learning disabilities.

Ian and Kevin applied to Leeds after attending an information evening. They had a positive home visit and undertook the fostering assessment process. Ian and Kevin were new to Leeds so the Assessing Social Worker introduced them to local carers and discussed how the council could support them. Ian and Kevin were approved at panel to care for one child of primary school age.

Lauren from Rochdale had a successful career working in family law representing parents whose children were in care. It was because of this experience that she decided to make the change to become a full-time foster carer.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” she says. “I can truly say that fostering is my vocation in life.

“I was working at a solicitors and I would attend meetings to hear all about these plans for the children and just thought, ‘that’s what I want to do, I want to help children’.

Louise lives in Stockport, Greater Manchester. She has been a foster carer for seven years. After a career in nightclub management and time spent as a sale manager she decided that she needed to do something with her life that was more aligned with her personal values.

This led to becoming a foster carer; more specifically a foster carer for teenagers.

“I really enjoy mentoring people,” she explains. “In every job I’ve ever had. I love watching people develop. And with that in mind I thought I’d give fostering a go.”

Like most teenage girls India spends a lot of time on social media. She’s very into make-up and spends hours watching You Tube videos and blogging about beauty tips from her often untidy bedroom. India’s foster carer says day to day life with her is like a roller coaster with the big highs and low lows of teenage life. She’s helping India pursue her ambition of being a beautician helping her focus and get the grades to get onto a college course.

Diana had some preconceptions about being able to foster; “I’m a single woman with no birth children of my own. I was in my late forties and although I had a good job I’d never worked directly with children.”

“I remember the day I received the call offering my next placemen. I said yes and she arrived two hours later! She is now my beautiful seven year old daughter. She has overcome most of her problems now and I am so proud of her.”