Eric Parker
Eric Parker aged 65, lives in Fife and has been a foster carer for 14 years. He says after they had their son, they just felt that “when we put him in the car, there was room for somebody else.”
My wife and I have fostered 40 children over the years, from emergency care to longer stays, and groups of up to 4 siblings at the same time.
It’s made us feel really fulfilled, it definitely isn’t without its challenges. Also, as Christians, we feel it's the right thing to do — doing something of value in our local community has been really important to us.
I've travelled across the world to do things like helping to build a children's home in Myanmar, but fostering is on your own doorstep, and it feels really precious. You can help a child with the transition to being adopted, for example, and get to meet the new parents and help them understand their new member of the family. You can continue to hear from a child you’ve fostered after they’ve left home — we fostered a boy who arrived in the UK as a refugee, and stayed with us between the ages of 14 and 16. He still sends us Christmas and Mother's Day cards and has come on really well.
One thing you really learn is that kids are incredibly resilient — not that you want to ever put that to the test, you want to shelter them and care for them — but you can’t believe what they’ve been through at such a young age. I know that there is a demand for foster carers in Scotland. If you’re thinking about becoming a foster carer, spending half an hour chatting to someone already doing it is probably the best way to understand whether it's for you or not.
In terms of what makes a good foster carer, I’d say some experience of raising kids is a big help, as is having a level head, and a willingness and ability to be patient and tolerant. My wife had a lot of experience in children’s care as well as raising our own children, and our daughter also helped out when she was still living at home.
Also, something that’s been helpful for me is having been a community psychiatric nurse, which can bring insight meaning you’re less likely to panic at times.
My wife and I have learned to handle all kinds of scenarios. It’s great to feel really valuable to the people we've been caring for over the years.