OUR FIRST YEAR FOSTERING FOR LORIMER
FOSTER CARERS: JEANETTE AND TYRONE
My name is Jeanette and I have been married to Tyrone for 33 years. My husband is a self-employed taxi driver, and I am the main carer, but we both enjoy fostering together. Together we have raised four daughters, who in turn have given us twelve, nearly thirteen beautiful grandchildren. We’ve only been fostering for a short while of sixteen months, but we are enjoying it immensely. Currently we have a young person placed with us who is doing really well. We decided to enquire about fostering purely because of the love and kindness we have to offer. The assessment process was an eye opener as it was dug right back to both of our upbringings right up to our parenting skills.
OUR FIRST YEAR FOSTERING
We had lots of support during the process from the staff at Lorimer Fostering. When we received our first referral, we were very excited but also very nervous! Nevertheless, we knew we were ready to open up our home, our arms and our hearts to offer love and support. We couldn’t imagine how the young person felt coming into our home for the first time. Nervous, we would imagine! However, after her first visit, our placement moved in with us two days later.
She has had her moments, which is to be expected, but she is now settled and gets on really well with us and our extended family. We have experienced so many positives during our time as foster carers. We’ve enjoyed watching her growing in to a young lady and seeing the changes in her behaviour and attitude. She has bonded with all of us and always engages fully with everything we do. At first, she was always confided to her room, and although she still enjoys spending time in there, we now enjoy movie nights, cooking and cleaning together, and other fun activities! We always have a laugh together and get on really well.
Supporting a young person with difficulties or problems can really help them become a rounded individual. We have gained so much satisfaction and pride from this, ultimately having made a difference. During our first year fostering we have been supported immensely by the team at Lorimer Fostering. We have been on many courses provided for us that are always very informative and rewarding.
Q&A
Lorimer: What would you say the main skills and qualities you need to be a foster carer are?
Jeanette: I would say the main skills and qualities needed to be a foster carer would be of a caring nature, with patience, understanding and compassion.
—————————————————————————————-
Lorimer: What do you think is the biggest myth that surrounds foster care?
Jeanette: I think the biggest all time myth would be that foster carers just do it for the money. We continue to foster as it enriches our lives as well as the buzz we get for being able to make a difference to a child life.
HOW DO I START MY OWN FOSTERING JOURNEY?
If you would like speak to someone then one of our experienced team members will be more than happy to discuss any queries with your or arrange an appointment for you to come and see us. You can call, text or WhatsApp Rachael on 07938 575 738; or send an email to foster@lorimerfostering.com. If you would prefer us to call you, please submit your details using the form below; and we’ll get back to you soon!
0 comments