Becoming a foster carer is a privilege and a rewarding role.  Playing a crucial part in guiding young people to succeed and to become their truly amazing self is a journey that should be and CAN be considered from people from all backgrounds.

We all have a story to tell. We all have had our own challenges to overcome. Young people within the care system benefit from a range of supportive people within their lives, and gain from what we have learnt along the way. That being said we can definitely learn from our young people also.

An individual from the LGBTQ+ community may have faced challenges along the way.  Their journey will of course vary in experiences, some more positive than others.

Something that we look for in our foster carers is the individual’s level of resilience.  One thing that we do know, is that the experiences some of the LGBTQ+ community have faced will have helped them to develop and shape their resilience, providing them with a deeper understanding of the importance of acceptance. Possibly giving them an inner strength to challenge others and quite possibly overcome the feelings of being discriminated against or judged.  Sadly, these experiences resonate with the children that come into foster care.

The question that I have is.. are you able to share your learning with a young person, to help them to thrive?

Whilst we recognise that this can be a daunting responsibility, you aren’t going to be doing this alone.  The fostering team at Caritas Care will be there with you every step of the way.

Please get in touch if you feel that you can use your personal experiences to help a young person - call us on 0800 652 6955 or take a look at our website for more information www.caritascare.org.uk