The Fostering Network is sharing stories from across the fostering community to shine a light on the life-changing impact of foster carers – and the urgent need for them to be better supported and valued.
Shauna and her husband, Christopher, have been fostering for nine years. Shauna had always felt a strong pull toward fostering, inspired by her own mum, who was a foster carer.
The couple have three birth children and began fostering once they felt their family was ready to embrace the change. They are now foster carers to a sibling group of three, who have been with them for over a decade, as well as a young boy who was initially expected to stay for just three days - but is still with them 18 months later.
At the heart of their story is a powerful example of what fostering can achieve when carers are empowered to advocate for the children in their care.
When one of their foster sons first arrived, he was placed in a special needs school. But as she got to know him, she began to question whether that was the right environment.
“And he came home one day when he was 11 - I’ll never forget it - with something made out of lollipop sticks,” she says. “And I just thought… no. This isn’t right. This is first year - this isn’t right for him.”
Determined to get him the support he needed, Shauna pushed for change. Her persistence led to him moving into a learning support unit within a mainstream school. Within a year, he no longer needed additional support and transitioned fully into mainstream education.
He went on to win a learner of the year award, achieve strong GCSE results, and is now studying for his A-levels.
"He’s so well thought of at his school”, Shauna says, beaming with pride. “He’s just the biggest gentleman.”
Moments like these reflect not only the resilience of the children she cares for, but the dedication and determination required to be a foster carer.
“I will work with anybody to do my best for these children,” she says. “I don’t care who it is. I will get what’s right for these children. I will always be their voice.”
Foster carers like Shauna are central to the life of a child in care – caring for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and building a deep understanding of their needs. Yet many carers say they do not feel treated as equal partners in the team around the child, which includes social workers, teachers and healthcare workers.
The Fostering Network’s State of the Nations’ Foster Care Report shows that only 53% of the foster carers surveyed feel they are treated as an equal member of the team around the child, while more than half have considered resigning due to a lack of respect from other professionals.
Shauna says that while she has strong relationships with her own social workers, more needs to be done to recognise the role of foster carers.
“We’re the ones working 24/7. We’re the ones managing these big emotions and dealing with things first-hand,” she says. “There needs to be a whole lot more support, and we need to be treated as equals.”
Despite the challenges, she describes fostering as the most rewarding thing she has ever done – found not just in big milestones, but in everyday moments.
“I remember one night being in the bath and there were five of them standing outside the door talking to me,” she laughs. “I just smiled and I thought I wouldn’t have it any other way”.
She adds: “When they start behaving more like other children – that’s when you know you’ve made it. That’s when you know they feel safe.”
This year’s Foster Care Fortnight theme, This is Fostering, celebrates the resilience, compassion and commitment it takes to support children through both the joys and challenges of life.
For Shauna, the meaning is simple:
“It’s stepping up when they don’t even realise they need you. It’s being there in all the moments – the happiness and the sadness. It’s just sitting with them and seeing it through.”
Her message to others considering fostering is equally clear:
“If you feel like you could love a child so much that you wouldn’t want to let them go, then you’re exactly the type of person who should be doing it.”
As Foster Care Fortnight highlights stories like Shauna’s across the UK, the call is not only for more people to consider fostering – but for foster carers to be properly supported, valued, and recognised for the vital role they play in transforming children’s lives.
