siblings https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/ en The best days of my life https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/blogs/davideggboro/best-days-my-life <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--blog.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>The best days of my life</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--blog.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">DavidEggboro</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--blog.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Fri, 01/05/2018 - 14:31</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/tfnetwork/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/tfnetwork/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-introduction--blog.html.twig * field--node--field-introduction.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--field-introduction.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-introduction field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p>Leah shares her story of foster care, being separated from siblings and how her foster carers have supported her.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--blog.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p>When I was six years old I was taken from my mother and I was put into foster care. Not only was I separated from my mum I was separated from two of my sisters, I was only young and didn’t really understand what was going on.</p> <p>I lived with my first foster carers for two and a half years until Haringey Council found my sister and I a more suitable match.</p> <p>When I moved in with my current foster carers it felt like I was entering a brand new world. Since the first day of being with them it felt as though I had been there forever. I have been with them for seven years and they have been the best days of my life. I have been on numerous holidays abroad, I receive presents and I go to restaurants regularly. I am extremely grateful for my foster carers. They are a miracle in my eyes as they treat me like their own child and I feel like I am a part of a forever family. They supported me with my school work and making friends, and they cared about my health and wellbeing.</p> <p>Throughout school I have been in the top set for all my subjects and won awards for geography, dance, my community spirit, and work with my peers. I was also put forward for an honours program for science, technology, engineering and maths. During my time at school I have also taken part in my school’s annual dance show, performing in front of over 200 people a night for three days. However, my proudest achievement is getting my younger brother and sister to live with me.</p> <p>They got taken off my biological mother and put in foster care. They stayed there for a year and their social worker wanted to put them up for adoption.</p> <p>I was distraught.</p> <p>For the whole year my foster carers and I fought for them to live with us as we believe family should be together and not separated. I wrote a long letter to the judge about why she should let my brother and sister come and live with us. She made the best decision - that they should live with us.</p> <h6>No&nbsp;regrets</h6> <p>I have achieved so much but I couldn’t do any of those things without the support of my foster carers Mandy and Iain. I don’t see them as my foster parents but as my mum and dad. They have done so much for me and I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. They deserve everything in the world and more, they are the most caring, loving and amazing people in the world.</p> <p>I believe that all foster carers should treat their foster children like their own, support them, show them love and what being in a family is like, because if not, I believe that children in foster care will feel lonely and angry inside and then choose the wrong paths in life. I also believe that being in care gives you so many opportunities and you get so much support from your social workers and carers.</p> <p>If I could go back in time so that I would still be with my biological mother today, I wouldn’t. If I wasn’t in care I wouldn’t have met my family and have all the support in my education and my hobbies. I also wouldn’t change the time I spent living with my biological mother, as if I hadn’t gone through that I wouldn’t be who I am today.</p> <p>I want to say a huge thank you to Jaqueline Heaney from Integrated Fostering Service and a special thanks to my social worker Susan Mukengezi from Haringey Council for all the support she has given me.</p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/uploads/images/enews-members/leahs_story_pic.jpg" style="height:375px; width:500px" />&nbsp;</p> <p>From left: Leah with Jamie, Kia, Chantel, Rachel, Iain and Mandy.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-blog-tags--blog.html.twig * field--node--field-blog-tags.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--field-blog-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-blog-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/326" hreflang="en">foster care</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/612" hreflang="en">siblings</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1909" hreflang="en">who needs fostering</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="flag.link_builder:build" arguments="0=node&amp;1=11092&amp;2=favourite_content" token="l3Rgg6WVPn5RKQIc7Hs0tu19NJ69p3KibylTb3yWxZE"></drupal-render-placeholder> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-comment--blog.html.twig * field--node--field-comment.html.twig * field--node--blog.html.twig * field--field-comment.html.twig x field--comment.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/comment/templates/field--comment.html.twig' --> <section> <h2>Add new comment</h2> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderForm" arguments="0=node&amp;1=11092&amp;2=field_comment&amp;3=comment" token="Z7SuUB9qWJUO3aISEQufqjgMb-MSN-M9bCSgg1bGOwc"></drupal-render-placeholder> </section> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/comment/templates/field--comment.html.twig' --> Fri, 05 Jan 2018 14:31:39 +0000 DavidEggboro 11092 at https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/blogs/davideggboro/best-days-my-life#comments