 When you think of a foster carer, what kind of person comes to mind? An older person – or perhaps someone who is retired? Someone with a big, family home, and children who have flown the nest? You'd be forgiven for thinking a foster carer looked nothing like me. See, when I turned 29, as a single mum, I started inviting vulnerable women and their new babies into my home – becoming a 'parent-child' foster carer. So, I don't fit into this dated stereotype at all. Back when I was 15, my sister gave me a copy of the book A Child Called It – a true story of a young boy's emotional abuse at the hands of his parents. Being adopted myself, I know what it feels like to grow up outside of your birth family – and the news still highlights horror stories of what some children go through. I think, deep down, I've always known that I wanted to help them out in some way, at some point in my life. To give back. But, for most of my twenties, I was a kitchen manager for major food chains. I loved the people and the pace, but I had to work most weekends and school holidays, leaving little time to socialise outside of work. Sometimes I walked away after a long shift going: 'Why am I doing this?' Aged 27, I had my daughter, Isla. As a single mum, my priorities completely changed, and my child became everything to me. Soon, I started working in a school kitchen, with better hours and holidays to work around Isla – but my want and will to help children was still in the back of my mind. If anything, I think having my daughter was the drive I needed to look into becoming a foster carer. In 2019, I started to contact fostering agencies – to see if I'd be a good fit to care for new mothers and their babies. Sadly, I didn't have much luck at first. Some just didn't even get back to me, leaving me feeling deflated. The first social worker was so negative, and it made me feel stupid. It fel){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
When you think of a foster carer, what kind of person comes to mind?
An older person – or perhaps someone who is retired? Someone with a big, family home, and children who have flown the nest?
You’d be forgiven for thinking a foster carer looked nothing like me.
See, when I turned 29, as a single mum, I started inviting vulnerable women and their new babies into my home – becoming a ‘parent-child’ foster carer.