Our first year as a fostering family

• Fostering Stories

Tahir and Amra share their thoughts about fostering, 12 months into the role.

Our Journey so far

“Before we applied, we talked a lot about it.  We had reached a more comfortable point in our lives, where we wanted to share what we have with a child and give them a better home.”

Amra and Tahir began caring for Rose* when she has just turned one. 

"Rose initially had delayed social and cognitive development and was underweight, but within eight months she met all her developmental goals with ease and was in the 70^th percentile for her weight."

“She grew to love the outdoors, she played with the Cat, collected eggs from the chickens, she picked strawberries and raspberries off the bushes, learnt to kick the ball run on the grass and in the end, she even enjoyed the sun on her face.”

“She learnt to love books and sing lots of nursery rhymes and developed a wicked sense of humour, she was so funny and very expressive”

 “It was so rewarding to read in her medical report that she’s a happy, confident little girl.”

A learning journey

“We understood the need for a thorough assessment process and actually enjoyed it.”

“You get to meet so many good people and Caroline who did our assessment was fantastic.  She really made us feel welcome and took care to help us understand the process and the journey”

“The questions really make you think and reflect and decide – is this right for me?”

Tahir told us how fostering has given him an insight into a whole different world!

“My work is very professional and about consultancy and this was completely different.  You meet a completely different set of people and it’s all about caring.  It's really refreshing. I’ve learnt skills through fostering that I’m taking into my professional life.  It’s made me more patient, more understanding and I’m able to empathise a lot more and take a step back and reflect"

"As a foster carer you become part of a community.  We’ve learnt lots of new skills and become more confident during the training programmes, like Anne’s nurturing course.  You also realise you’re not the only one and what you are feeling is normal!”

Adapting as a family

“Since Rose arrived, she has just slotted into our family.  We’ve taken her into our hearts, and she is treated like every other member of our family by our children as well”

“At the beginning our middle child was the most reserved about us fostering and now she has come full circle and is the most devoted to Rose!”

• "We want the best for the children we care for and we work hard with other professionals to set high expectations of what Rose could achieve, to not let her down and to really make a difference. Making a difference is key for us." Tahir and Amra

*Name has been changed.