Helen

How did you first become interested in fostering?

Mainly, personal experience as a child. I always wanted to be fostered as a child, because of my family background and poor parenting and when I became older and had my own children, I wanted to be a foster parent.

Why FCC?

I saw an advert in the Sheffield Star newspaper

How did you first contact FCC? What response did you receive from the agency?

A simple telephone call to the office to ask for information and what requisites I needed to be a carer and a pack was posted to me.

Tell me about the assessment process. Was this explained to you? Was it difficult having a social worker wanting personal details regarding yourself and family members? Was this undertaken in a sensitive manner?

I had a good rapport with the assessor who visited me and explained what the process was about and that it would be very intrusive. This brought back good and bad memories for me about my childhood but it was all approached sensitively by the assessor.

Tell me about your experience of attending Panel.

Nerve wracking but pleasant because Geoff my assessor had explained what panel was and the sort of questions they might ask.

Have you received training? What aspects of the fostering task does training cover? Has the training informed your fostering practice?

Plenty of training and support groups which are varied and relevant to fostering. I find it very beneficial and enjoyable and learn from the other carers who have more experience than me. There is a good rapport with the other carers.

What about support? Does the agency provide the 24hr support it claims? How do you access this support? Tell me about the supervision sessions, what do they involve? Talk about support groups. Are these helpful? Is there adequate support for your birth children?

I have never doubted any of the support given, they are there if I need them. Yes, there is 24 hour support provided by phone and text messaging. Supervision is informal and we discuss things about the placement and Carole makes suggestions and gives advice. The support groups are helpful and we learn from each other and get support from them too. The social days are available but my son has never wished to attend.

Tell me about your experiences; what have you learned about looking after other people’s children? What are the challenges and rewards?

That all children are raised differently and therefore they have different experiences at home, which may not always be good experiences. My role is to teach children placed with me the right way to live, behave in society and keep themselves safe - and to give structure to chaotic lives which means putting in boundaries and helping the child to abide by them and instilling rules. Mealtimes can be challenging but the rewards are when they learn something you have taught them and they do it without thinking. Taking pride in themselves too, is rewarding.

Would you recommend fostering to anyone who expressed an interest in this task? Would you recommend FCC?

Definitely yes.

I wouldn’t think of suggesting any other agency.

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