We’ve been speaking with our foster carers and learning more about why they decided to foster, especially those that have taken a change in direction in life and made a significant change to become foster carers.
Leanne from Foster Wales Merthyr has been fostering for 17 months with her husband Lee, and are two of our carers that were approved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Leanne and her family were matched with a young girl in August 2020 and are still caring for her currently: “The little girl we care for is delightful but when she arrived, she was quiet, didn’t laugh a lot and was quite subdued. Watching her blossom into the fun-loving little character she now is has been the most rewarding experience to date.”
We asked them a few questions:
Why did you decide to foster?
“We had always been interested, good friends of ours have been foster carers for over 12 years and it always looked so rewarding to us.
In 2019 our personal circumstances changed. My 12-year-old daughter required brain surgery and due to a number of other ongoing health issues we realised that I needed to take a career break from work to care for her full time. I am a midwife by profession, so it was not a decision I made lightly. I was giving up a relatively well-paid job, and a career I had worked hard to achieve, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain a healthy work life balance and to meet my daughter’s additional needs.
My husband works full time and is a shift worker, so I needed to be available at all times of the day. It was shortly after this that we revisited the idea of fostering again. I was struggling with the idea of not having a job and a focus after being in employment my entire adult life.
Although I needed to be there for my daughter 24/7, she attends mainstream school and there were big chunks of the day where she wouldn’t need me at all. The only obstacle we could see was that we didn’t have a spare room. We discussed it and decided to make some initial enquiries. I couldn’t help thinking that with my background in midwifery I would have skills to bring to the table in respect of caring for babies. This gave me hope that I may be considered as a foster carer for younger children.”
How long was your approval process for fostering?
“We considered fostering as far back as 2013 but as soon as I made the initial enquiry, I found out I was expecting my third child so was unable to proceed and from then on had no spare room.
When we came back to the idea it was early 2020 but shortly after starting the process, we went into the first lockdown and thought things may be delayed. However, this was not the case, our social worker took us through the process and the training via telephone, online training and doorstep drop-offs. Essentially, we were the guinea pigs going through this process, but it worked out well and we were approved in July 2020.”
Take a look here for an overview of the process.
Does having your own children restrict you from fostering?
Every family dynamic is different. Some of our foster families already have children, some have children that live with them, some have older children who have left home, some have no children of their own. We only ask that you have a spare room for the foster child to have a space of their own.
Leanne shared with us a bit of background info about their family dynamic:
“We’ve been married for 21 years with 3 children of our own.
A son aged 18 who has just started a university degree and still lives at home as most of his lectures are currently online.
My daughter, who I mentioned above is 12 years old and in year 8 of comprehensive school – she has additional learning needs and has a 1to1 teaching assistant to help her in school.
My youngest son is 7 years old and is in year 3 of primary school.”
What is fostering like compared to your previous role?
“I have to be honest; I do miss going out to a place of work but that was no longer a viable option for me anyway.
The fostering journey has helped to give me a sense of purpose since giving up my midwifery career. From a satisfaction perspective, I find the fostering far more rewarding than my previous employment.
It’s difficult to explain but as a foster carer, I am responsible for how I conduct myself, what training I undertake and when I do it (within the statutory requirements). It’s like being my own boss and the more I put into it, the more I get out of it. And the children in my care will benefit as my expertise grows.”
What do you enjoy most about your fostering journey?
“My own children love the fact that I’m around so much more than I was. I’m there every morning and evening when they’re leaving and returning from school. I don’t miss any of their activities.
My work-life balance is much healthier than before. I’m available to give my daughter the care and attention she needs whilst still doing something worthwhile to contribute to society.”
What has your experience with Foster Wales been like?
“Overall, we have had a positive experience with Foster Wales!
Our initial enquiry to our local authority was unsuccessful due to them having enough carers for babies but they passed our details to a neighbouring authority who they knew would take our application forward.
It was thanks to this joined up approach that we were not just dismissed.”
At foster wales, we pride ourselves on being a collective of local authorities, all working together to build better futures for local children. Teamwork is ingrained within us and we’ll always do our best to resolve situations together.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
“Just to ask, enquire, there’s no pressure put on you so if it’s something you’re curious about just make some initial enquiries to see if it could work for you.”
Is it time for a change?
At Foster Wales Merthyr we’re asking you to consider the possibility of welcoming a local foster child, to provide a stable, caring place for them to call home. We’d love to hear from you if you’re passionate about helping others and want to start a rewarding and fulfilling journey to helping brighten the future of local children.
There’s plenty of information on our website but we encourage you to get in touch, ask us questions and start the conversation about fostering!
We just want to help as many local children as possible, and it all starts with you.
If you live in Wales, visit the Foster Wales website where you can find all the information and contact your local authority service.
