Our whole family have always been supportive of our fostering journey and it’s just the norm for us now. We all want to help children coming into care from different backgrounds and do our best to make sure they have a positive experience.
We have been fostering for around 7 years now. We felt that we had the time to give to another child, along with a loving and stable home. I had to have emergency c-sections with both of our children, and we were told we could only have one more so decided to stay at two. We were originally looking into adoption but my sister-in-law suggested fostering and so we decided to give it a go.
My previous role was as a domiciliary carer for the council and Adam works full-time in administration. Our children were 12 months and 2 years old when we started fostering.
We all want to help children coming into care from different backgrounds and do our best to make sure they have a positive experience. We moved to Lancashire so my Mum could move in with us as she was lonely on her own. Mum is such a huge support. Our birth children have grown up with fostering and so they don’t really know anything different. They accept all the children that come to live with us and it’s great seeing them all get on. There are sometimes challenges as you’d expect, but we deal with things as a family together.
Our first placement was a child that stayed with us for 3 years, and we went through quite a tough time. Unfortunately, you can’t keep everyone safe and sometimes children need to move to another suitable home. Thankfully, Excel Fostering were really supportive and encouraging. We now have three foster children with us on long-term placements.
During our time with Excel Fostering, we have looked after children with learning disabilities, supported mother and baby placements and mentored three fostering families through the recruitment process.
We found that fostering isn’t what you initially expect it to be. No one who understands what is involved in being a foster carer could ever say that they were doing it for the money. People don’t realise what we do day-to-day, but being a foster carer is so much more than being a parent. You must always be able to keep a level head and we would say that having a good sense of humour is also essential!
We are incredibly proud to be foster carers and find fostering to be so worthwhile. We feel so sorry for those who still need to come into care, who need a stable and loving home and we wish we could help every one of them.
The best thing about fostering is when the children begin to trust you and really start to settle in. It’s so lovely to see. It can be a really small moment sometimes that catches you, like for example when one of the children lost a tooth and all of the children gathered in to support each other together.
We love taking the children on days out and holidays. They/we have so many wonderful memories to look back on and remember.
…we would say, not to be scared and to just apply. Excel Fostering have been fantastic and really supportive. It feels more like a family there, they never put any pressure on us, and our social worker is amazing. We couldn’t ask for anything more and would recommend anyone thinking of fostering to get in touch.
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.
