I have fostered some lovely young people, of all ages. My last young person T left me 5 years ago as a nineteen-year-old and is now a nurse. We catch up every so often, but it’s enough to know that she is happy and settled, I am so proud of her. She was in shock when...
I have fostered some lovely young people, of all ages. My last young person T left me 5 years ago as a nineteen-year-old and is now a nurse. We catch up every so often, but it’s enough to know that she is happy and settled, I am so proud of her. She was in shock when she arrived The lovely young...
I check emails and sort my to do list before I get my family out of bed, followed not long...
I take a first look at my emails for anything that has come in overnight that might need my...
We must know how to protect our children from predatorsOnce our young person has left for school,...
I get up at 6.15, throw on my running gear, persuade the dog to come with me and head out for a 6k before I do anything else. It’s a nuisance when it is dark, but I know if I don’t go first thing it just won’t happen! I get back for a quick shower and then get the kids out of the door to school. At that point I can sit at my desk and check emails etc. I usually turn my phone on at about 8am…unless I am on call, when it is on all the time. I share an office with my partner, so if we are both home and one of us has a meeting or calls, one of us will work at the kitchen table.
My days are pretty varied and never dull. Profession wise, I say I am a foster carer and I consider my work is fostering. However, I have other varied roles which I incorporate into my day, and I feel I have good balance in my life. Alongside fostering young people, I foster dogs too via Dogs Trust. I volunteer for Essex police, and I am involved in the local neighbourhood watch as well as being a restorative justice facilitator. During lockdown, I also volunteered for my local vaccination centre, and will continue to squeeze a shift in when I can. My days, therefore, are pretty varied, and rarely dull.
From the age of three I was always dressing up as a nurse, and with my toy nurse’s bag, my play generally revolved around bandaging and injecting my lined-up teddy bears. Not too surprisingly, I then became a nurse and worked full time, until recently at the age of 53, when I became a foster carer.
