At the age of 16, Kaycee went to live with Kate, a foster carer with Team Fostering. Now 27, she’s making a difference to the lives of other children as a Deputy Manager in a residential children’s home. And attributes her achievements to the support she received.

A place which feels like home

“It feels like a lifetime ago,” Kaycee says, as she looks back on the early days, “I remember going to Pizza Hut with them to see how I felt because I’d seen a few other families before hand.

“We got chatting about home life and stuff, what it was like living at my mum and dads.”

After the initial meeting, Kaycee visited their house and moved in that same week.

“Straight away it was home”, she says. “I’ve always called Kate mum, it was always mum and dad.

“She’s such a homely person, so welcoming and loving. She’s just such a people person.

“She understood a lot of things that other people didn’t understand.”

Support through the difficult times

Although she’s now doing a job she loves, the road to get there wasn’t always plain sailing and Kaycee struggled with her time in education.

“I left school quite early, “she says. “I didn’t do good at school at all, I really struggled.

“I think a lot of it was other kids. Kids can be horrible. It was just a really bad time.”

After leaving school, Kaycee went to college and despite some further difficulties she eventually found the right one, completing a qualification in health and social care and really enjoyed it.

Preparing for the world of work

With Kate’s support, Kaycee was able to navigate some of the challenges and do the preparation she needed to ace her job interview at a residential children’s home.

Kaycee says: “She always used to help me read and write. I used to struggle with that because I’m dyslexic, so she always helped me with paperwork or how to word things.

“She helped me do my CV, she helped me prepare for my job interview, she took me to my interview, picked me up from my interview. We went clothes shopping for my interview.

“She was always so supportive, she still is now. I speak to her most days.”

What the future looks like now

Now a Deputy Manager in the same children’s home, Kaycee’s supporting children with sever challenging behaviours, autism and ADHD.

“I absolutely love it,” Kaycee admits, “Just helping the kids, making their lives a little bit better in each way you can. Making sure they’re safe. It’s their home.”

How life has changed

Kaycee explains the difference Kate’s made to her life.

“I definitely wouldn’t be sat where I am now without her,” she says, “She helped me get through a really, really difficult time when my mental health wasn’t great.

“I was just that typical kid in care. I was a very different person.

“She’s the best mum ever and I love her. She does a cracking job at what she does.”

Could you give a child like Kaycee a brighter future? Fill in our enquiry form below and we’ll be in touch about becoming a foster carer with Team Fostering.