Nicky and Richard

We always said fostering was on our bucket list of things we wanted to do. 

I was a teaching & learning support assistant in a school supporting a looked after child one-to-one.  The positive feedback for the work I did really got me thinking about what it would be like having a foster child as part of our family.

I saw Family Care advertised on Facebook and messaged them straight away.  We had a few concerns about my husband’s health which we were upfront about, and this was dealt with very professionally. 

Dave arranged to visit us and explained all about the application.  It was very clear and concise and we decided straight away that we wanted to proceed.  We didn’t consider any other agency as we liked what we saw and Family Care had such a family, nurturing feel. 

Dave suggested that if the health side was what we were most worried about then the medical checks could be done first, and we passed the medicals with flying colours!

Rob completed our assessment and we clicked right from the start. We were aware that the assessment would be very in depth and honesty was a must, which goes without saying. 

Although the assessment at times felt intrusive, we could understand the reasons why.  We would be looking after a very vulnerable young person and it would be crucial to examine our suitability for this vital role.

When we were approved it was one of the best moments of my life.  We felt supported all the way through and were so excited to get started.  Since then we have supported 3 young people.  We started with a short breaks placement upon Family Care’s recommendation, and have gone from strength to strength.

We were told from the word go that our supervising social worker (SSW) should always be our first port of call to keep them in the picture.  Any concerns we had, however big or small, our SSW would be available for us. 

At Family Care there is an extended team of support - not just our SSW, but the family support worker Jess as well as the therapist Jennie who supports with TACs (Team Around the Child meetings).

Fostering like any job has its highs and lows. I would be wrong to say it’s all rosy, but the good days far out weight the not so good.  I love the fact that I am living my dream and making a difference to the life of a young person.  I would highly recommend it.