What foster carers have to say

We asked our foster carers how fostering in Thurrock fits with family life. Here's what they said.

"It fits in with my family life because I have to make sure it works, because the child that I am looking after, or the young person I am looking after, is part of my family."

"They became our family, because my daughter is grown up. She has her own daughter. She lives abroad. And I have three siblings, different aged and they integrated in my family as our own children and they enjoy my extended family. They are part of our family now so they fit in really well."

"I'm more of a part timer because I still work, unfortunately, but the time I do have I enjoy. So I went from no children to few children."

"You have foster children. You don’t know them and you haven't grown them so it does make a difference where you sometimes have to start things over again or change the way you do things."

"You've got to adapt, so with each child you do some adaptation to your life and your personal surrounds really."

"At first I was concerned – I have two grown up sons and it's not really been a problem because they're always off doing their own thing and they just accepted what I was doing and were always appreciative of the way I am with children. And if anything they are quite supportive – it hasn’t affected it at all. To be honest, [our foster child] is just a member of our family."