Why Sam and Mike Chose Flexible Fostering to Fit Around Their Life

Tuesday 23 June 2026
Last updated: Monday 06 July 2026

Sam saw first-hand how being in care affected and shaped the lives of the children at the school where she worked. Their resilience and the challenges they faced inspired her to do more to help them outside the classroom. That was when Sam and her husband Mike decided to explore fostering and what they could do to help. Sam found a way to fit fostering around her life, and the more she learned, the more certain she was that she had chosen the right path.

Becoming a Foster Carer gave Sam and Mike the opportunity to offer children the stability, guidance and support they need to have the confidence to thrive.

Can you tell us about your experience fostering with Five Rivers?

We’re fairly new to fostering; we only went through panel recently, but I have to say it has been a really positive experience for us. We absolutely love it. We are choosing to take on, and I don’t think it’s going to change; emergency fostering or Solution28 fostering (a specialist type of fostering where the child stays with you for 28 days). That type of care really works for us as a family. We absolutely love it, and I wish I had done it years ago, but I’m also just really glad we are doing it now.

It was really my journey, but Mike came along as my support, and Five Rivers exceeded my expectations massively. We initially chose to foster with Five Rivers because they were local, and I always wanted to do it, but I wanted to make sure my biological children were settled. I have a good skillset with my background working with disabled children and working in special needs and teenage transitions. I worked in a special needs school, alongside many children who had come through the care system, and I always wanted to be that safe place for them in a crisis.

What inspired you to become a Foster Carer?

My background was working in a school, and I worked with so many children in care. I also worked with so many professionals, and it had such an impact on me that I wanted to offer my help.

How do you find the training and support from Five Rivers?

The training with Five Rivers is simply great; I have done so many courses. I do extra courses as well; Five Rivers gives you a whole list of the year’s courses so I can pick what I want to do that year. You can never have enough toolkit essentials, can you? It’s great that you’re able to do courses online as well, I can do them in the comfort of my own home; it works perfectly for me and suits my needs.

What support have you found the most valuable at Five Rivers?

Having someone there to help us whenever we need a hand. Having support that is readily available, that fits into our schedule is necessary. Five Rivers have been supportive and work around our schedule. They support me as a person as well as a Foster Carer. Our Social Worker always checks in and asks us how we are feeling and asks us if we need support. I did have a bit of a wobble with understanding the process, so I called a meeting with my Supervising Social Worker (SSW) and they explained the process to me, gave me the space to ask the questions I needed to ask and helped me understand the whole process.

I also find the Carer Connection meetings, really helpful. The team at Five Rivers even planned a Christmas meal in place of a carer connection meeting, which is lovely. I love having peers to talk to about fostering. I am also a massive ambassador for mental health; I actually take leaflets with me about mental health and emotional regulation to help other Foster Carers.

What is your experience fostering with Five Rivers?

We love it! I get so much from it. We have a child who has been with us for two weeks and he had been avoiding school, but he recently did his homework for the first time, which was such a big deal, I was so proud. We celebrated his win at home, and when he went to school, he got loads of praise. He’s fantastic. On the weekend I let him choose what we’re having for dinner, and I took him shopping and bought him some new clothes. I just think he’s doing a great job.

Has the team at Five Rivers helped you prepare for this new chapter?

I still have trouble letting go because the kids are only here for a short period of time and the team at Five Rivers have worked really well with me on that and have been great in grounding me and helping me adjust. My Supervising Social Worker has gone above and beyond in helping me, talking me through it, and reminding me why I chose this type of fostering.

I chose it because time with my family is so important to me and this type of fostering allows me the opportunity to give my foster child my full attention while they’re with me and then go back and give my family the attention and time they need.

Emergency fostering works for us as a family; I can give 110% to my foster child and then when they leave, I can go back to being nana for my grandchildren and give them 110%. It just works well for us, and it fits my family’s lifestyle because we do go away a lot, which is why we could commit to emergency care. We would not be able to do that if we had a long-term.

What do you wish you knew before you started your journey to becoming a Foster Carer?

How well it would fit into our lives and how I just wish I had done it earlier.

If you are thinking about becoming a Foster Carer, I would say just look into it first, enquire and then decide along the way. You don’t have to commit right away.

I think people don’t realise that there are so many different types of fostering. So, I’ve been really promoting that you’re not too old to do it, you’ve got so much experience to give and if you’ve got a spare room, just check out the website because there are so many different types of fostering you can do.

I don’t think people realise that you’re not just going to get a knock on the door or a phone call and be asked “oh, can you take this child?” You get to read the referrals and are matched with a child.

Watch Sam and Mike’s Full Story

Discover their journey and how it shaped where they are now.

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