Before becoming a full-time foster carer, I was a teacher. I loved my work, but I was keen to do something to help those children who come into the care system and need long term support to get their lives back on track and to have a chance of achieving their potential. I tried to foster long term alongside teaching, but it soon became obvious that due to the care needs of the children placed with me it just was not possible to do both.

It was daunting to leave a well-paid job, but fostering has a clear career progression and I started as a level two foster carer. I have now progressed to level three and have had opportunities to undertake lots of training and have been well supported. Fostering has enabled me to be financially secure while working from home in a challenging but very rewarding job. The support around finances has also been unparalleled too. It’s never easy to talk about it – particularly during these uncertain times – but its been really refreshing and clear to have all our questions answered when it comes to allowances and skills fees.

Our two younger children come from very different backgrounds, and it has been a challenge to get them to learn how to rub along together. We have taken them for lots of day trips to places like Lepe and Farley Mount. They go to a football club together on Saturday mornings and enjoy a few days doing football camps in the school holidays. These shared experiences, together with our family holiday to the Isle of Wight have helped them to bond. It has taken six months, but they are now pretty good friends and don’t have too many squabbles.

It is true that anyone can be a foster carer. To be a great foster carer you need a few skills – you need to be flexible and willing to put the child at the centre of what you do. You need to show empathy and be willing to stick with them as they try to navigate controlling their emotions and learn how to function in society. You need a good sense of humour and a willingness to try new things. You need to be a life-long learner who is willing to engage in training opportunities and try out new approaches. You need to be a team player who is happy to help and support other carers and their children as well as work with other professionals to get the best possible outcomes for the children we care for.

As with everything in life you get out of fostering what you put in. You can feel like your efforts are unappreciated but one day you may be surprised at the effect you are having on the young people you care for. We don’t do this job for the praise but my birthday delivery of flowers and chocolates from our 18 year old was so special as it was unprecedented and unprompted. Knowing you have helped to create a thoroughly decent human being is a great reward in itself and an outcome unique to fostering.

Fostering really is flexible – some foster carers like me decided to embrace it full-time and undertake it as a full time role – a privilege I understand that not everyone can do. Fortunately, we have so many talented and inspiration foster carers who undertake fostering part-time too. Specialising in emergency or out of hour placements for example, they are phenomenal in balancing the commitments of their professional life with fostering. Hampshire County Council are brilliant too in helping strike this balance.