Young couple encourage others to consider fostering
With under 25s in England facing bleak employment prospects as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, two of our younger foster carers, Kerry and Jamie, are encouraging other young people to consider a career in fostering due to the security, stability and flexibility it offers.
Kerry, who runs her own children’s clothing business, and her husband James, a dealing and orderbook manager for a financial services business, had always wanted a family together. However, finding out that they were unable to have their own children naturally prompted their decision to look into adopting, and then fostering. Kerry said: “We initially looked into adoption and we actually went through quite a lot of the process, but we were concerned about the lack of support after you adopt a child. We just felt that we could help more children through fostering, it was also clear that we’d get plenty of support from Five Rivers and a community of other carers to call upon.”
In 2019, Kerry and James were approved as foster carers and are now looking after a 17-year-old girl and two siblings aged 10 and eight. The younger siblings are with the couple on a long-term basis, meaning they will stay with the family until they are able to live independently as adults, while the 17-year-old is hoping to move back in with her own family once she turns 18 next year.
Speaking about her experience as a young carer, Kerry said: “I think the fact we are younger parents has been really great for all three children because we have more in common. For example, James and I are huge film buffs and it’s been great to be able to share our passion. We always aim to have a film night on a Friday, and we each take it in turns to choose what to watch, so this could be a brand-new release or perhaps an old favourite.”
“The progress each of them has made is incredible, and we’d both encourage anyone to give fostering a go – particularly in this current climate where there is so much uncertainty around Covid-19. We’ve been really lucky to not only spend the time together as a family, but also know that we have that job security.”
Young people make great foster carers, and we are always in need of them, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t stopped us from recruiting foster carers. In some areas, we’ve actually seen an increase.
If you’re looking for a career with progression opportunities alongside flexibility, a vocational career, like fostering, could be a great option.
For more information on foster care, contact Five Rivers Child Care on 0345 266 0272 or https://five-rivers.org/fostering/.