Carer Profiles

But it was a different boy – playing truant on a troubled housing estate – that first made her want to be a foster carer.

“He was going nowhere – hood pulled up, hands deep in pockets, head down…just sad and purposeless,” said Sue. “To me, that boy symbolised all the children I wanted to help.

Sue believes that it’s life experience, combined with training and support that is the key to successful care.

“We can all be perfect parents at 50! To parenting, add training as a foster carer. There are problems or course – legal, behavioural, emotional – but also dependable help, and plenty of it with FCA. Nick and I now have three fantastic boys with whom we are most pleased.”

And Sue knows that her boys care for her too. She added: “As a foster carer you are the most important person to the child in your care – because you’re the one who wipes away their tears.”

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Mike is an FCA Foster Carer from Kirsley, Coventry, who has been fostering for over 10 years, yet 12 years ago he would not have envisioned fostering as an option. His wife first approached the idea and it has successfully carried on from there.

From experience he knows how difficult it is to make the first step towards becoming a foster carer. He explains: “A lot of people out there may think, “I couldn’t do that”, which is exactly how I used to feel, but I now realise how much my wife and I have to offer.”

“Being a foster carer is not a job you can do alone but working with an agency like Foster Care Associates means 24 hours a day there is someone at the end of the phone to support you if needed and they always have the time to help you.”

“To see how one young lad changed in the two years he was with us makes the job worthwhile, he came to us as a withdrawn child and left us as a sociable young man. Another boy who was only with us for a very short time still stays in touch, which is an indicator of the lasting effect a foster carer can have on a child.”

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Michelle & Chris live in the Leeds area, Michelle is 24 years old and her husband of 3 ½ years Chris is 30 years old. They have been fostering with FCA for over 1 year. In that time they have had a brother and sister placed with them. The boy is 11 years old and has been with them for nearly a year. The girl is 10 years old and has been with them for 3 months.

Michelle & Chris are a homely, loving couple who wanted to help care for children after seeing the work done by a friend who was also a foster carer. The couple rang FCA and after being visited by social workers decided to apply to become foster carers. Although Michelle was very young she knew she could care for children with difficulties and was determined to prove this. Shortly after the couple were approved as foster carers the boy was placed with them.

Although the children placed are challenging, with the support of FCA, Michelle & Chris have managed to build bonds and are proud that the children have grown to respect and trust them. Michelle describes this sense of pride as the most rewarding aspect of being a foster carer, seeing the progress a child has made and, ‘knowing that you made that happen’. Michelle & Chris’s commitment, enthusiasm and patience and communication have allowed two abused children to have a settled family life.

A typical day for Michelle involves the same routines as looking after any children of primary school age. Michelle gets the children ready for school, then takes them on the bus. After a day of household chores and time to herself Michelle meets them from school. Sometimes the children must go straight to a contact session, where they will spend time with their mother or birth family.

After putting the children to bed, Michelle makes the packed lunches for the next day, then fills in diary sheets for both the children, stating what they have done that day and detailing any problems they had.

Michelle and Chris have done so well with the boy that it has been agreed that he will stay with them until he is 18. The couple hope that a similar decision will be made about his sister. After the siblings have grown up Michelle & Chris are committed to fostering more children for FCA.