Foster mum Helen, featured on a national TV show for a celebrity makeover.
Helen Warren was nominated by her foster son William to feature on Katie Piper’s Weekend Escapes, to thank her for the profound impact she had on his life.
Helen and husband Ken have been fostering with FCA South East for 25 years, dedicating their lives to changing outcomes for children, young people, and parents who are unable to care for their own children.
William, 30, who was fostered by the Warren family for seven years and remains close to them, nominated Helen for the show to honour her dedication to transforming young lives, William said: “There are a million reasons why I nominated Helen, but if I had to narrow it down to just a few, it would be her undying passion for helping people.
“The impact that Helen and her family have had on my life has been profound. When I first came to them at the age of 11, I was incredibly scared and had a lot of challenges adjusting to my new life. I had a fairly traumatic childhood, and for the majority of my life, never had a safe place to call home – but when I moved to Helen’s, that all changed.
“Her warmth and kindness early on really helped me to feel safe and gave me the confidence to start slowly re-learning the world around me. She’s a real inspiration, and one of, if not the most generous and kind people I know.”
The show, which celebrates everyday heroes, interviewed Helen about her life as a foster parent before treating her to a new hairdo and makeover by celebrity stylists. Helen said: “When I found out William had nominated me for the show, I couldn’t believe it!
“I kept thinking ‘why me?’ because there are so many other deserving foster parents who do the same thing as us day in, day out. They work tirelessly to ensure the children in their care have the best possible outcomes after such a difficult start in life.
“But the experience was amazing and something I will never forget. Spending quality time with William, meeting Katie Piper, and being pampered by celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas reminded me how important it is to stop and have some quality ‘me time.’”
William’s relationship with his foster mum highlights the impact fostering can have on children in care and the lifelong bonds that can form between foster parents and the children they support. The pair are now encouraging more people to consider fostering.
William said: “From my own lived experience, I know the difference fostering can make to someone’s life trajectory, and to be able to support a young person in those crucial years of their life is a real and unique opportunity to help change their future for the better.”
Helen said: “There is no typical foster parent or fostering family, and people from various backgrounds and experiences can all make a huge difference. When we started fostering 25 years ago, we never understood the impact we could have on so many young lives, but now we do.
“So, if you do nothing else today, why not simply pick up the phone and enquire about how you can make a difference to a child.”
You can watch Helen’s appearance on Katie Piper’s show ‘Weekend Escapes’ on ITVX.
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