Foster Care Fortnight 2024 – #FosteringMoments

As a former West Ham season ticket holder, I loved sharing this experience with him and hope that we will be able to go again in the near future. Sadly, the game was a draw, but hey, you don’t support West Ham for the glory!

A moment of reflection

Whilst Foster Care Fortnight is about celebrating moments big and small, the theme is also about considering what provides stability – I have been reflecting on that too.

One of the children I provided care for has been reunited with a parent. I am happy for them and hope this is a successful outcome.

But this has been hard to come to terms with as the situation happened after a really positive few months and in the run-up to a holiday we were all excited about. The change was sudden and unexpected, and I am still unsure why.

It’s made me reflect on the amount of trauma that many young people in care have experienced and how this can manifest itself. It also surprised me how quickly seemingly stable placements can destabilise, which I’d heard from other foster carers and professionals within the local authority.

Interestingly, I’ve found that the support for me as a Foster Carer has been more than I expected – an excellent group of people who support me personally, a supportive employer, financial support, access to a social worker and access to a specialist child psychologist to help me understand some of the behaviours I have seen.

Sadly, and I can only speak of my own experience — this level of support is not extended to children. I had been advocating for robust support for the children I cared for prior to them being placed with me. I feel it arrived too late and not to a good enough standard. Seeing the situation that unfolded felt preventable. It has reinforced my personal opinions that the level of therapeutic support and intervention provided for care experienced young people is failing some of the most vulnerable young people in the country.