“I was over 50, divorced and working full time”
Alison from Wrexham is proof that age or marital status is not a barrier to becoming a foster carer. At 52 years old, divorced and working full time, she became an approved foster carer with her local authority, Foster Wales Wrexham. Alison shares how she made her dream of becoming a foster carer a reality whilst continuing to work full time for Wrexham County Borough Council.
“Fostering has always been a dream of mine”, Alison said. “With three boys of our own, my husband and I started thinking about fostering when our eldest son was 15, but decided that it wasn’t the right time, so we decided not to proceed. That was definitely the right decision at the time.
A few years later, I was divorced and a little while after that my boys were all grown up and becoming independent, and the emptiness began to set in.”
“I thought I was too old to foster”
“I went on a girls weekend away and we were chatting about dreams and ambitions, and how things have changed in our lives over the last few years. I was asked what happened to my dream of fostering and that really got me thinking again. I had always wanted to foster, but as time passed by, it felt that the possibility was getting further and further away.
Soon afterwards, I had an informal chat at work with a member of the Foster Wales Wrexham team. I told her that I was probably unsuitable as I was too old, still working full time and single. I felt that everything was against me really! But she was so encouraging from the start and said that they could make fostering work for me.”
Alex Griffiths, Recruitment and Training Officer at Foster Wales Wrexham, who had that very first conversation with Alison about becoming a foster carer says that many people have the misconception that they cannot foster and are unsuitable. “All children are unique and have individual needs”, Alex said. “To Foster you require patience, empathy and love. There are many different forms of fostering and whatever your situation there will be a young person who’s needs will align with you, and fostering can become part of your life.”
“A new lease of life”
In March 2020, at 52 years old, Alison was approved as a foster carer for respite and emergency care. “My first foster child arrived just as we went into the first lockdown, which added a whole other dimension to my new role as a foster carer. I did a lot of my training online, and met with other local foster carers virtually.
With everything closed, and not allowed to see anyone at the time, fostering gave me something to focus on, and I had company. With the slower pace of life in lockdown, I could give the children some quality time to do nice things such as teaching them to cook and just talk! Lockdown, however, did add some more challenging changes to our everyday lives, such as having to juggle working from home and home-schooling. As I work flexible hours and foster older children, it worked well for me. I could catch up on some work in the evenings after we had tea.
“Together, we have made fostering work for me”
Alison’s own children were adults when she started fostering and are fully supportive of her decision to become a foster carer. “My youngest is currently in University and my eldest is living in America. My middle son lives just around the corner with his wife and young daughter. They have always welcomed the children that I foster into their home when I go and visit and are always on hand to help.
As well as the support from my own family, my social workers and the team at Foster Wales Wrexham are absolutely incredible and together, we have made fostering work for me. And as I work for the local council, I get additional annual leave for fostering with my local authority, which I use to attend meetings, training and reviews. There is a lot of flexibility.
My ultimate aim is to become a full time foster carer with my local authority. I absolutely love it, and love fostering with my local authority.
Fostering has given me a new lease of life. It has not always been easy but support is there from different places and it has helped make a dream come true for me.”
Is it the right time for you to foster?
If you live in Wrexham, contact Foster Wales Wrexham and a member of our dedicated team will be in touch for a friendly, no obligation conversation to help you decide if fostering is right for you.
If you live anywhere else in Wales, visit Foster Wales for more information and to find your local authority fostering team.
