The Modern Day Foster Carer- Part 6- Advice to someone considering fostering

This is what we are meant to be doing…

We asked Halima and Adam the prevalent question if they can see themselves fostering again…

‘It’s a process you work through, we went from not wanting to foster again and we felt done in by it, but quite quickly we felt empowered again and excited. We feel like this is what we are meant to be doing, it feels very holistic and very integrated for us. We still want our children to be around other children in that way, that is important for us. Our dynamic in the house is different now as we have a two-year-old, so the placement might look different as it might not be a 360. Our approach is to commit to something and embrace the vulnerability of it so we have to ask ourselves the question, what would it look like to have a new young person living with us? What would they be like? How would that affect us? It’s daunting to address but it’s part of the process and Nexus is like a mirror or a soundboard that we can reflect on these things we can see things in a slightly different way through their support’.

‘By opening yourself up to building a family with young people and embracing them as part of your life, your story, it gives you a beauty that I think isn’t normally there. Anything that is worth anything you have to strive and fight for. The challenges are a wonderful experience, they’re real, they’re accessible and you can make an impact on young people and their lives as well as your own.’

‘A life-changing, a life-improving experience’

Halima and Adam discuss if there is ever a right time.

‘If you think you can offer another person a safe space and join your family then I don’t think there’s ever going to be a moment where it feels right more than now. You are supported and held essentially through that process; I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.’ If you want to do it, then I think you are ready to do it, and it's about being open to experiencing it and being open to growing with it. You can have a wonderful life experiencing joy and despair, growing, and developing and forming beautiful relationships.’

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5 of Halima and Adam's Story