Sarah had thought about becoming a foster carer for years, however, she chose to wait until the time was right. Finally, when the right time came, she would start to look further into fostering, and ultimately, choose the agency that was right for her…this path led her to Caritas Care.

My fostering journey…

‘I started my fostering journey many years ago through thought alone. I have worked for over 20+ years as a psychologist in the Children’s care sector; I always knew that this path was one I would go down in my own life journey.’

‘I spoke with my 4 children after they had reached 18+, and I told them about my thoughts on fostering. They each listened to me and gave me their blessings, and with their encouragement, I started to think more seriously about fostering.’

Not for Profit resonated with me…

‘I came in from work one day after having a conversation with one of my daughters about fostering and I found a letter on my mat from Verve Recruitment. The letter said that Verve recruit foster carers only for Not for Profit charities, and it immediately grabbed my attention. For me, my fostering journey is to be about the children and young people I care for, not about who benefits financially. This message resonates strongly with me, I called Verve, and I spoke with Val.’

I immediately knew after talking with Val that now was the ‘right time’ for me. More importantly, I had found the ‘right person’ to embark on my journey with.

The path that led me to Caritas Care…

Val called to see me at home, and she suggested I should speak with Caritas Care. She felt that they would be the right agency for me, and from the very first call with them, the conversation flowed well between us. This led to a home visit with Caritas Care social worker… and I met the fantastic Lucy.

I am a single parent to 4 grown-up children, and I would be a sole foster carer. Lucy took time to hear my life story, and she understood my motivation for becoming a foster carer..she was terrific.

My social worker Lucy is amazing…

Lucy has been fantastic from the very beginning, she has been my Social worker throughout the whole process, and she is with me now as I enter my fostering career.

One thing that stands out for me is how Lucy took time to visit each one of my children in their own homes to give them a better understanding of the fostering role. This was done to inform them of how they too, could be a part of the Caritas Care fostering family, and how they can be involved to support the children and me in the future.

Caritas Care supports you every step of the way…

One of the things I found surprising about Caritas Care was how supportive and caring they are as an organisation. The support given to you from the very beginning of your fostering journey and throughout is excellent. Evermore important is just how supportive they are of each other…They are amazing!

My training was excellent…

From the very beginning, support is always available to you. The training is brilliant and very professionally put together and ran by the team. Caritas Care keeps training to the schedules, never throughout the process has anything ever been cancelled. The sessions are punctual, informative and friendly,.. and I thoroughly enjoyed them!

Caritas Care regularly keep me informed …

I have monthly updates and informative newsletters, regular visits, and we fundraise together! I can honestly say you will become part of a charity that welcomes you and your family in everything they do.

Caritas Care…respecting your skills

For me, the outstanding feature of Caritas Care is how respectful they are to you of your skills and experiences. They recognised what I have to offer to children and young people, and the whole experience has been lovely. I have now delivered some training for them myself as part of their Stepdown project.

Caritas Care takes time to get to know you as a person and work with you and your family together in your fostering journey, and the whole process is thorough.

Assessment and training take a long time, ‘How can you get to know someone in a short period?’ Placing children with fostering homes that are surrounded by family’s needs to be planned and organised. It is essential to work with all of the family to give children the full support they need.

Taking the time and not rushing is vital to me…

My decision to wait and not rush into fostering led me to Caritas Care. For me, it was crucial to find the right agency. I am delighted to have found that letter which ultimately, led to me discovering the right path of my journey.

Thank you, Caritas Care…

‘I speak on behalf of myself and my family to say ‘Thank you, Caritas Care’. ‘The support you gave to my family and me is fantastic, and I am excited about the future…I am happy that I took my time to find you!’

To find out more about how to become a foster carer, click https://www.caritascare.org.uk/fostering/