Sara Smith

When I was a child my parents spoke about considering fostering, and while they didn’t end up going down that path, I feel like it made a big impression on me. 

Years later I was working in a riding centre for children with physical disabilities and emotional and social needs, which gave me an insight into the need for foster care and made me think about applying to be a foster carer myself. 

I was married when I started being a foster carer, and after my divorce I did it on my own for a number of years, before meeting a new partner. I’ve also been in employment for my entire foster care career - I think it shows young people a work ethic. 

The aim is to maintain links with the young person’s own family. That obviously won’t be possible in every case, but with every child I’ve had through the door we’ve been able to have some sort of family link. Our role as foster carers is to give them more stability. 

We’ve also got dogs in our house, and pets are fabulous for connecting with kids. We’ve had dogs that have sat with children on their beds when they’re unhappy — there’s a real treasure to that. 

An important aspect of fostering for me is giving young people opportunities, for example finding something that makes them feel good about themselves, like a sport. 

It’s really nice to be able to watch them learn and thrive in a different environment, somewhere where they’re not judged, helping them grow into adulthood. 

There have been some very memorable moments over the years, including one boy who aged 12 had never been to a beach. 

We took him on a day trip to St Andrews, and he ran into the sea fully clothed and sat down with the waves crashing over him, mesmerised. It was just the most amazing moment. 

In terms of support, you do need a good team around you, because it is complex. We’ve looked after an asylum seeking young person, so there can also be a language barrier. 

For anyone considering fostering, I’d say go in with an open mind, and speak to foster carers and relevant services. I’ve seen how the need for foster carers has grown in the last few years, but you need to decide if it would be right for you. 

I still hear from many of the people I’ve fostered, it feels like you grow a family, and it’s great to hear about even little changes I’ve made to help them in the long-term. But sometimes there are bigger moments; one girl we’d looked after had her engagement party, and her father put his arms around my partner and I, and smiled as he said, ‘Look what you've done for my daughter’. If you get that acceptance from families, it's just so powerful.