#FacesOfFostering Working in Foster Care was the best decision I made, Sharon.

I have worked for Caritas Care for 21 years; I started as a residential support worker in a former Caritas Care Therapeutic Children’s home from 2000 -2012. I worked my way up to Assistant Manager, and I adored working with the children and the young people. Sadly, we learned that the home was closing, and I thought that’s that; I was devastated.

I enjoyed working for Caritas and didn’t want to leave. When a job vacancy with the fostering team became available around that time, I decided to go for it. However, I had reservations because my real passion is working directly with children and young people.

Was it going to be a desk job Monday – Friday?

I had never done that type of work before and what I wanted to know was, ‘would I still work with the children?’

This part of my job was what I loved most; therefore, when the home closed, I felt like someone had chopped off my right arm. I had been with the children for a long time, and we had relationships together built on trust. I hadn’t thought about doing something different and couldn’t bear the thought of not doing this anymore; this was a big decision to make.

I had worked for Caritas Care for a long time, and I never wanted to leave. I joined the fostering team; however, there was still a part of me that wanted to retain the familiarity of my old life with the children. The question still niggled me, ‘Will I get to see much of the children?’

However, I had a positive team who knew me and supported me. As we gelled together, I realised I had made the right choice; the answer to my question was a big yes. I get a lot out of working with children, and I love the feeling of bringing about positive changes for children; I also have a trusting relationship with the team.

We all have a direct working perspective, and this is in every aspect of our work together. This perspective is also a social aspect with me, the children, and the families we support; ultimately, we all support each other. One of the biggest things for me is that any of our foster carers can ring up and whoever picks up the call knows and understands the foster carers and their children.

All foster carers have a Supervising Social Worker. However, when they are on leave or unavailable, the carers can still ring, safely knowing they will speak to someone who knows them and the children. You only get that in a charity with a family feel. We work together; we understand how important it is to our foster carers always to have someone that understands and knows them.