Dafydd has been teaching for 20 years but a few years ago, he made the decision to become a foster carer as an addition to his main employment.
Being a teacher, he saw the impact it can have to children’s lives when they lived in a home with a positive influence.
“Fostering is something I thought about doing many years ago but didn’t do anything about it. One day, I was chatting to a colleague in school who fostered and it made me think it was the right time to explore my interest. I saw information about one of the local authority’s fostering open evenings and decided to go along to gather some more information. As they say, the rest is history.”
why foster for your local authority?
“By fostering with the local authority, I feel that I can help the young people within the community I live in, offering them a safe, stable, and encouraging environment to thrive in. Also, they not only provide the initial training needed, but also an ongoing training programme which both develops me, but also enhances the care I am able to give.
“On a day-to-day basis, I have a supervising social worker who can help and support me, both with advice and training, as well as helping to support me with the needs of the young people in my care.”
what are the rewards of fostering?
“It is very hard to explain the rewards of fostering ….. the greatest feeling is making a difference in a child’s life. I offer both short break and long-term fostering, and it’s been lovely to offer support to families in the form of respite, as well having a long-term placement with me, and the stability I’m able to offer. I currently have a 17-year-old boy who I’ve had for several years, and it’s a pleasure seeing him develop into a responsible young man and preparing him for independence when he’s ready.”
what can people expect from being a foster carer?
“Being a foster carer is by no means easy, but I’ve never done anything so rewarding in my life. By being a foster carer, you get the opportunity to enrich a child’s life.”
what advice would you give to people who are thinking about becoming a foster carer?
“There are parts of becoming a foster parent you can prepare for, whilst there are others where you just can’t. Keeping on top of your training is an excellent way of being as prepared as you can for as many different situations as possible. By using your training, you’ll be prepared to face any challenges facing you. Not every day will be a challenge, but you will certainly face a few you weren’t expecting along the way. The support of your family and friends will go a long way to help you, in particular with babysitting, as well as being a good listening ear when you need it. The ability to love children uncontrollably is a must, sometimes the hardest times to love uncontrollably is when a child tries to push you away. To get you through everything, undoubtedly a sense of humour what’s needed. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’ve failed; it means you want to do the best. Lastly, get a dishwasher! I never knew it was possible to have so many dirty dishes.”
want to learn more?
Find out more about fostering and what it could mean for you.
Alternatively, contact us today to have a no-pressure chat about fostering.
