Types of Care - Other Carers Stories
Could you change a child's future?
Eighteen year old Linda has been in foster care since she was six years old. Although she has lived with four or five different carers she has finally found a place she can call home.
Linda still lives with Joan Evans and her family in Rotherham who fostered her when she was a child. Joan (52) has been fostering for 16 years and in that time has provided a home for more than 40 children.
However, people like Joan are few and far between and in a response to a severe shortage of family placements, Rotherham Borough Council are appealing for more people to become foster carers.
Unfortunately we have a growing number of children and young adults who need foster care for lots of different reasons. We are always looking for more people who want to make a real difference to a child's life.
"Carers may offer a home to a child for a short period or offer a permanent home for a child who cannot return to their parents. Some carers also offer short breaks for parents of children with a disability."
"Like the children they look after, carers come from all sorts of different backgrounds. However, they all have one thing in common - they care about children and want to help them through a difficult time in their lives."
"There is a really good sense of community between foster carers who meet regularly to support each other and share their experiences".
According to Joan, foster caring is one of the most challenging and fulfilling things she has ever done and despite the inevitable ups and downs she said the experience has mostly been a positive one.
"I initially became a foster carer as I wanted to help children who for whatever reasons hadn't had the best start in life. My family were very supportive and my own daughter Louise, who was 13 at the time, was particularly keen as she didn't have a brother or a sister to play with."
"I started off fostering one child and then gradually took in more and more children of all ages from nought to 19, some of whom just stayed for a week, whilst others stayed for eight years."
"We've currently got three fostered teenage girls living with us and three young adults who were fostered and have stayed on to live with us. As you can imagine with six teenage girls life sometimes gets pretty hairy but it's wonderful to watch them grow up and hopefully one day some of them will be able to return to their own families."
"Many of the children I've fostered keep in touch and bring their own children to meet us. It's like having an enormous extended family!"
Many people have preconceived ideas about who can become a foster carer. When we say we have foster carers from all walks of life, that is what we mean and that is what makes our jobs in the fostering service so interesting.
"We undertake a full assessment which includes police checks and a medical. We also talk to other people who have known you for a while and talk to your children if you have any. It feels a bit intrusive it's fair to say but we are trusting you with caring for someone else's child and we have to feel like we know you enough to do that."
"We do give generous allowances and have a progression scheme which means that carers can be rewarded for skills and experience. Some applicants who wish to care for children or young people with more challenging behaviour and who have specific skills may be entitled to commence and a higher point on the progression scale. "
Natasha was 14 when she first went into foster care. Her mum was suffering from a severe mental illness and could no longer look after her. She has been living with Jean and her family for nearly four years and says going into foster care helped her to find direction in her life.
"I really enjoy living with Jean. It's good fun and I've met lots of different people who are in a similar situation to me. When I first moved here I had some attendance issues at school. However Jean encouraged me to go to school and get some qualifications." said Natasha.
"I've now completed a two-year course at Dearne Valley College and am currently studying for a National Diploma in Public Services. When I've finished studying I'd like to become a police officer. Jean also encouraged me to start seeing my mum again. Our relationship has definitely improved and I now occasionally stay overnight."
