Southend City Council’s foster carers are sharing their positive experiences and are urging likeminded residents with a loving and stable home to consider fostering local children especially siblings.
Foster carers play a vital role in providing vulnerable children and young people with guidance, stability and love, and they help the council’s fostering service keep siblings together and close to familiar surroundings.
Siblings who are separated in foster care can experience feelings of grief and anxiety. Often, they’re concerned about the wellbeing and whereabouts of their brothers and sisters, which can prevent them from settling into their new foster home.
Depending on location and circumstances, it can also sometimes be difficult for the child to have contact with their siblings, which can affect their bond and shape their relationship into adulthood.
Southend-on-Sea City Council fostering couple Emma and Scott, have been fostering for almost three years. With four children of their own from previous relationships now gaining independence, the caring couple soon realised they hadn’t finished being parents yet and opened their home to fostering siblings.
Emma said: “It feels great to be able to keep siblings together as there is a sense of unity - a family within a family. We initially had two siblings whose relationship was fraught to say the least but, over time, and with lots of work, love, understanding and a nurturing approach, you can see their bond has strengthened.”
Scott added: “Any child we have looked after is treated like one of our own from the second they walk through the front door and are woven into the fabric of our daily life. As challenges arise, we deal with them as best we can and, if we need more support, it is always available from the supervising social worker through to fantastic emotional support from the fostering team.”
Emma and Scott made the decision to move away from a private fostering agency to Southend-on-Sea City Council because they felt they weren’t getting the support they needed as new foster carers. Since their move, the support they have been receiving is, in their own words, ‘so much better with Southend-on-Sea City Council’.
Fellow Southend-on-Sea City Council foster carer, Stella, 56, has been fostering for over three years and is aware of the rewards and benefits of keeping siblings together.
Stella said: “I wanted to foster two sisters because it helps to build a closer relationship between them. It makes them bond together and lessens the emotional pain of parental absence.
“Both children can create lifetime memories and they are there for each other - talking, playing, and sharing ideas. They love each other despite their misunderstandings and arguments!”
Stella and her husband wanted to fill the gap left by their own children growing up and leaving home and fostering caught their attention albeit with some initial hesitation. With the support and encouragement of Southend-on-Sea City Council’s fostering team, the couple decided to give it a go.
Stella explained: “We realised when our children were leaving home that we needed to fill that void. Fostering caught our attention but we didn’t know much about it, so we made some enquiries and here we are. We haven’t once regretted our decision to give children the opportunity to thrive to their full potential in a loving and caring environment.”
Meet the team at our fostering information events
If you can provide a stable and loving home, we want to hear from you!
Join us online or in person at one of our upcoming fostering information events in 2023. With talks from our amazing foster carers and recruitment team you will get a real insight to fostering and learn more about the support and training you receive.
Full event details are available on our website.
For more information call 01702 212938, email fostering@southend.gov.uk or visit the website.