This Foster Care Fortnight, we’re sharing stories from across the fostering community to raise awareness, highlight the skills and dedication it takes to be a foster carer, and celebrate the many different forms a family can take.
Julie is a single foster carer, currently looking after two children on a long term basis. She always knew she wanted to be a parent, but due to a chronic health condition she’s unable to have biological children. Since becoming a foster carer, Julie has thrown herself into every training opportunity available to build her skills and confidence - and she’s even completed a sponsored skydive to raise funds for The Fostering Network.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there about fostering,” Julie says. She has been fostering for seven years, but initially believed it wasn’t an option for her as a single person. It wasn’t until a conversation with a colleague that she realised fostering could be possible. She applied straight away, and soon the process was underway.
Julie now refers to the siblings in her care - an 11-year-old boy and a nine year-old girl - as her “forever children,” adding that she loves being their parent and sharing life with them. Becoming a parent for the first time as a foster carer felt daunting, she admits, so she committed herself to taking on as much training as possible to ensure she could provide the best care.
Since coming into Julie’s care, her foster son has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD - something she previously knew little about. Through training, she has learned how to understand him better and support him to regulate.
Julie said: “I’ve done courses on online gaming, trauma, neurodivergence. My wee boy has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, so now I understand exactly what I need to do - when to do it, how to calm him down, and generally what he needs from me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a clue. Autism and ADHD weren’t really known about when I was at school, but now I have an understanding of what both children need. It’s brilliant.”
Recognising the challenges fostering can sometimes bring, Julie also attends support groups with other foster carers, where they share experiences and learn from one another. She adds that life looks “very different” now she’s a foster carer - with weekends filled with trips to the farm, activities for the children, and simply “being a mummy.”
For Julie, the best part of fostering is seeing how far the children have come.
“My boy has changed so much since the day he arrived. He was terrified of everybody and would have hidden under a table if anyone came to the house. But now he’s happy to go away overnight. He’s going away for three nights this summer on a school trip, which he can’t wait for. Before, I couldn’t have left him for two minutes, even at school. Now he’s happy as Larry and so confident.”
The transformational impact Julie has made as a foster carer is a testament to her dedication to developing her skills and providing the highest quality care. This is Fostering celebrates the knowledge, commitment and compassion foster carers bring to the lives of children every day.
