Three young people make big strides in education – thanks to foster care!

So many of our young people are making progress in their education. Our foster carers and support workers advocate strongly for their individual needs with teachers and social workers. We thought we would share three heart-warming stories of young lives turning around:

Billy

This is one of the messages Billy, aged 5, received from his teachers at school. His progress has been remarkable: at the start of the school year Billy struggled to stay in the class for one day. He has now managed two weeks of unbroken attendance in the class, thanks to the unstinting support of his foster family.

Matthew

After a disrupted start to his primary education, Matthew was placed with a foster family. He started school just a few weeks before the summer holidays had begun. Despite the late start, with the support of his teachers and carers, Matthew embarked on a summer reading challenge which he completed – a huge achievement for him. Other strides Mathew has made since coming into Five Rivers care includes starting to learn to swim and taking an active part in Children in Need fundraising at his school – wearing a Pudsey t-shirt with great pride.

Luke

Luke was placed, aged 9, with a Five Rivers family in September. He arrived showing selective mutism which prevented him speaking in front of a teacher and hindered his learning. The carers have attended workshops and weekly support sessions to enable him to speak to the foster carer and others when the teacher is stood outside the room with the door open. This is a huge achievement for Luke and all credit to him and his carer for working so hard to overcome his fear.

Steps to Recovery

These small steps represent quantum achievements in young lives damaged by traumatic experiences before fostering. We hope you have enjoyed reading about our young people’s progress. We offer a package of care that integrates education, assessment and therapeutic parenting, allowing young children not only to thrive but in many cases to shine as they discover their individual gifts. Five Rivers offer many opportunities to develop your parenting abilities into effective fostering skills.

If you have felt touched or inspired to help a child achieve their dreams, then why not read more about becoming a foster carer with Five Rivers? You do not need to have previous experience, either as a carer or a parent. Find out more below.

We have changed all names to protect the identities of children in care.