Foster carer story

Helen has worked as a respite foster carer for Scope Fostering Service in East Anglia since 2009.

Why did you become a foster carer?

I come from a caring family and I’m a very family-orientated person so it felt natural to look after another child. My mum worked in care homes and I used to work in children’s homes so I have always worked with disabled people. Becoming a foster carer was the next step and something I had thought about doing for a long time.

Can anyone do it?

You need patience, time and ideally a good support network of friends and family - and a spare room. I used to think that having children of your own would give you all the experience you needed but I’ve since met Scope foster carers that don’t have children of their own so I’ve changed my mind!

What do you think about Scope Fostering Service?

Scope Fostering Service is a brilliant agency to work for. All the training and support you need is there constantly. You can always pick up the phone to them and ask a question. There’s a social aspect too. The carers get together regularly – it’s definitely not an isolating experience!

What is a typical day as a foster carer like?

It’s like any normal family day. We haven’t really had to change our routine, I take the children with me and they do what my own children do.

What are the best things about being a foster carer?

The reward you get from seeing a child smile and seeing an improvement in them. You see them achieve things they couldn’t have done before - often it’s just simple life experiences which you can give them. Being able to help is so rewarding.

Our children get on really well with our foster children and they are all treated the same. It has been a really good experience for our children and for us.

What are the difficulties?

You get the same ups and downs that you get from any children. If you’re doing respite care (looking after children on a part-time or temporary basis), you sometimes feel a bit empty when you’ve been attached to a child for that time and then they are gone but you can deal with that. I wouldn’t take away the time I spent with that child for anything!

When you have a child in placement, there are a lot of meetings to attend. I didn’t expect so many! However, I have gained a lot of experience and self-confidence from the meetings.

What are your hopes for the future?

I am considering becoming a full-time foster carer in the future as we are really enjoying the experience.

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