Foster Care Stories
Viv’s story
For Foster Care Fortnight, foster carer Viv talked to us about the importance of the relationship she has with her Supervising Social Worker, Laura.
After years of working with children in residential care, Viv, along with husband Dave decided to take the leap into fostering around seven years ago.
With lots of experience behind them, the couple have provided a home for a number of children with complex needs. This means it’s essential for them to have the right support and they’ve found this in abundance with the relationship they’ve built with their Supervising Social Worker, Laura.
Viv explains: “I saw there was a massive need for foster carers, and that’s what drove us to come into fostering. We’ve always been with Team Fostering because we were just so blown away with the morals and the ethos of the team.
“The young people we have at the moment are long term, and we will see them right up into the adult years. They will always have a home with us. So the level of support I need is quite high.”
Support from a Team Fostering Supervising Social Worker
The couple are currently supported by Team Fostering Supervising Social Worker Laura, who works with them to ensure they have everything they need to be able to do their best for the children.
Viv says: “Laura, our supervising social worker is just marvellous. She’s supported me in accessing different things that the boys need, like different assessments. She’s just so understanding and her knowledge is second to none.
“She’s a marvellous support to myself when things can be wobbly. So if we have a really bad week and Laura reads my report, she’ll just check in with me.”
Building a relationship with the young people
Taking a child-centred approach to communicating with Viv’s young people has been essential for working alongside their needs.
Viv explains: “Laura’s took time in getting to know them both, and she comes with a craft box. She sits at the kitchen table. So when she’s got to talk about tricky things, she does that in a very child focused way.”
The difference support makes to a foster carer
The support offered by Laura and the rest of Team Fostering makes a big difference to Viv’s experience as a foster carer.
She says: “It means that we can give the children the care they need. Just knowing that we’ve got that support at the end of the phone. And we have really regular catch ups.
“To be quite honest, I don’t know whether we’d still be in fostering if we didn’t have the support we’ve got.”
The Team ethos also means that if a foster carer’s usual Supervising Social Worker is away, someone else will always be there.
Viv says: “If Laura’s unable to be at an important meeting, Tracy [Team Fostering Team Manager] steps in. I think for a manager to do that, it just speaks volumes about what Team Fostering’s about. And information is shared, so that if someone else was stepping in, they would know exactly what was going on.
“We just love fostering. Very proud of our young people. They’ve come they’ve come such a long way.”
Would you like top notch support as a foster carer like Viv? Or perhaps you’d just like to ask some initial questions? Give us a call on 0800 292 2003 or complete our online enquiry form below.