The number of children currently needing to be fostered nationally is at a 15-year high.

At any one time there are more than 50,000 children who are unable to live with their birth parents for various reasons Could you be someone who could open up their heart and home to a vulnerable child?

Foster caring is a very special role and foster carers come from a variety of backgrounds.

It is rewarding both emotionally and financially.

If fostering is something you may have considered or be considering, please read the story below about a foster carer and see if it could be a lifestyle career for you.

LISA’S STORY

Lisa, 47, wanted to be a foster mum after going through the care system as a child herself.

There was no foster carer to look after her so she grew up in children’s homes; but she enjoyed the experience and is now using it to help others.

She said: “I know what it’s like to be at both sides of the table, so I can feel a lot of empathy,”

Now she is caring for a 14-year-old girl with behavioural difficulties, alongside her own 18-year-old son.

She said: “It’s going really well. It’s hard going and challenging, but it gives rewards to both of us. It’s great to see the changes in her behaviour.

“It’s a 24-hour commitment, but it’s very good. It’s a lot better than a 9-to-5 job and there are a lot of benefits. You can really draw on your life experiences and you don’t need any qualifications. If you’ve got a good heart, that is your qualification.”

The single mum gave up her full-time job and started working for one of i-want-to-foster.com fostering agencies about two years ago.

The mothering instincts brought on by the birth of her son awakened Lisa’s desire to foster. Having worked in residential homes for children, she wanted to break free from rules and regulations and be able to trust her instincts as a mother and applied to become a foster carer through local fostering recruitment agency i-want-to-foster.com

The application process, in which the agency checks an applicant’s criminal record, takes personal and professional references and examines every part of their history over a period of months.

This is the part that some applicants really enjoy. As Lisa said: “You go back along memory lane. You go back through your past life and it’s full of discovery. You learn things about yourself you don’t think would upset you or make you laugh, but they do.”

A social worker is on hand to help applicants through the process along with a very supportive, caring and professional team at i-want-to-foster.com head office based in Essex.

The team recently moved to new, larger premises to cope with demand and have improved therapy rooms, office space and meeting areas, offering better facilities to staff, foster carers and children.

i-want-to-foster.com offers the foster carer:

  • Up to £31k income with allowances
  • 24/7 support
  • 3 weeks’ paid respite
  • Specialist and ongoing training

The children benefit fromL

  • Education
  • Expert specialist assessment
  • Therapy
  • Aftercare

An information open day in Bromley is being held by Kites Children's Services on May 18 from 10am to 2pm. Go along for a chat if you would like to find out more about what fostering involves at The Central Library, 5th Floor meeting room, Bromley, BR1 1EX. Or call 0800 121 6401.