Gemma – TACT Foster Carer since 2014
Wales
“My partner of eight years, Jeremy, and I had always wanted children but it didn’t happen for us. We didn’t want to go through IVF, so we started to think about adoption or fostering. We knew we wanted to help and make a difference to a child’s life, we had a stable and loving home environment to offer so fostering seemed like the right thing for us to do.
I was a support worker for the NHS for 10 years and saw first-hand how children thrived in foster care. I was in awe of what such parents did – and Jeremy agreed.
We applied through TACT and, after various in-depth interviews and an intensive three-day course, we were successful, and in July 2014, we had our first placements – a 15 year old boy.
When he arrived, we had an open and honest talk, setting ground rules, but also stressing the fact there was room for negotiation and that we’d always be there for him.
Lots of people said they thought it would be weird to start sharing your house with a complete stranger, but for us, it felt natural.
So when we were offered another 14-year-old boy, in September 2014, we accepted him, too. We love them as if they were our own children. One of the boys has contact with his mum, and we have a relationship with her too – we work together for what’s best for him. We talk about the future and when the boys do leave, we’d love to foster more.
Over the years our Supervising Social Worker has supported myself and Jeremy with some very difficult situations and there is always somebody on hand 24/7 to talk to. The support is amazing!”
