A foster sibling tell us her side of the story
Our foster carers sometimes foster alongside bringing up their own children. When you think about fostering, you need to think about the impact that this has on them. You’ll find plenty of stories from our carers about how their children have found it. They have explained that fostering has helped them teach their children life experiences that they may otherwise never have had, and they believe their children are more understanding as a result.
Today, we’re asking one of our foster carers’ own daughter how she feels being part of a foster family. And she should know, she’s been doing it for 10 years!
Isabelle explains: “Fostering has given me lots of skills and experience with children and made me want to work with them. I am now training to be an early years practitioner at a local nursery. I enjoy fostering and I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new children over the years and making a difference to their lives.
We have always loved looking after the children and we make sure we take them on nice days out and set up different activities. I have liked everything about fostering and we work well as a family.”
You can read Isabelle’s full story here.
Our foster squad
Brighter Futures for Children run a support group for foster carers’ own children, the foster squad. They get together during the school holidays so they can meet other children and young people whose family also foster. It’s a great community that have a lot of fun together. Here’s what our foster carers’ children have said:
‘When we all meet up, we are given tea and treats. Sometimes we play games and hang out but we also get to go on outings like bowling, Pizza Hut and the cinema. We have also been given gift vouchers to say thank you, it’s great fun!’
Their parents, our foster carers, are also really pleased that they have this opportunity:
‘We feel privileged to be part of the Brighter Futures for Children fostering community and our children are no exception. Our supervising social worker always makes time to check in with them when she visits but it’s especially reassuring that they can attend the Foster Squad events, for down time and support with friends who share the same experience. They always have fun, but are especially proud of their “thank you” certificates and recognition of their commitment also.’
If you’re thinking of fostering and would like to understand more about the potential impact on your own children, whether they’re young or they have grown up and moved out of home, give us a call. Keep your eyes open for a video from our foster carers next week on the impact of fostering on their family.
…This is fostering.
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Our goal is to find more foster carers for our children and young people in Reading. How can you help?
- If you’d like to find out more about fostering and become a foster carer yourself, get in touch with us. Our friendly fostering team are at the other end of the line on 0118 469 3020. You can also enquire and you’ll get a call back.
- If you’re not able to foster yourself but would like to help, you can help us spread the word.
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and share our posts
- Tell someone if you think they’d be a great foster carer! This can be a family member, friend or colleague.
- Invite someone to one of our information events.