Celebrating Emma, Ben and Lewis’ invaluable contribution to fostering
October is Children of Foster Carers Month, The Fostering Network’s annual campaign to celebrate and raise awareness of the vital contribution children of foster carers play in a fostering household.
Karen and Marc have been fostering with their local authority Maethu Cymru Gwynedd since 2016, along with their 3 children Emma, Ben and Lewis. During this time they have provided a loving home to many local children in need of a safe, stable family environment, from newborn babies to caring for a young children with additional needs.
The family’s support worker, Nia, says that Emma, Ben and Lewis’ contribution and support has been “invaluable” and they have “welcomed fostering with open arms and immense love.”
“The care and love that Emma, Ben and Lewis have shown towards the children who have lived with them has been impeccable”, says Nia from Maethu Cymru Gwynedd, who wanted to recognise their contribution to fostering as part of Children of Foster Carers’ month.
“They don’t see fostering as just having to share their house with the foster children. They have accepted every single child as part of the family. They have loved, nurtured and shown empathy towards them, which has enabled these young children to thrive and grow into confident and happy individuals.
“Emma, who is now an adult, has even attended medical based training so that she can help her parents in supporting the needs of some of the children in their care. She is also very considerate of her parents and will often treat them to nice things like concert tickets on their birthdays and other special occasions so that they can have a little break away sometimes.”
We asked Emma, who is now 20, to share what it is like to be part of a foster family.
How do you help your parents with fostering?
I help look after the children by taking them out to various activities, such as baby gym, and by participating in training that’s relevant to the needs of the child. I also help with bath time and I entertain them to ensure that their needs are met. We all also enjoy taking the children on family days out and holidays.
How do you feel when foster children leave and move on?
It’s a bittersweet feeling when they leave because although we have formed a special bond with them as a family, it’s also nice to see them move forward to start a new life and go on to have a better future. It’s also nice to see them grow and develop after they have moved on from us as we are still in contact with some of the children.
What does it mean to you to be a part of a fostering family?
It’s a really nice experience to be able to give a child a warm and loving environment to ensure that they grow and develop into the best versions of themselves.
Nia added: “If we could clone this family, the world would be a much better place to live and we would see many more children getting the best possible start in life.”
On behalf of Maethu Cymru Gwynedd, THANK YOU Emma, Ben and Lewis for your outstanding contribution to fostering.
Photo caption: Karen and Marc with their children Emma (20), Ben (18) and Lewis (13)
