Foster carer was inspired by her late mother to help vulnerable youngsters

Five Rivers foster carer Catherine,  shares how she and her husband Stuart are following in the footsteps of her own mum – who fostered an impressive 79 children.

Key to Catherine’s decision to foster was her mother’s inspiring legacy. Following her mum’s passing three years ago, Catherine had an overwhelming urge to follow in her footsteps as a foster carer.

Catherine said: ‘’Losing Mum was such a heart-breaking event and in the immediate aftermath I struggled to cope. The light at the end of the tunnel for me was when I thought about how she had helped children all her life and I felt like I could have a shot at continuing her good work.”

Catherine believes her mum’s work as a foster carer prepared her well for the types of children she might have coming into her homes: ‘‘Of course it wasn’t always smooth sailing, but the challenging placements often turned out to be the most rewarding’’

Catherine and her husband, Stuart, have four children between them, four grandchildren and two dogs. Before becoming a foster carer, Catherine worked in elderly care and feels her experience of working with vulnerable people laid an excellent foundation for fostering. She explains: ‘‘Caring for the elderly requires patience and understanding so there are a lot of transferable skills for fostering.”

Catherine also praises the level of support she receives from Five Rivers: “Like all new experiences, fostering felt like a rollercoaster at times, but whenever I felt overwhelmed, our social worker helped me get right back on track. I’ve learned to cope with whatever comes my way, no two placements are the same and all are equally rewarding.”

A career in foster care offers many benefits including competitive rates of pay and flexible working. For more information about fostering in the North of England contact us on 01246 642055 or visit www.five-rivers.org