This Father’s Day TACT celebrates our amazing foster fathers and the paternal bonds that contribute to the growth and development of children and young people in care.
Darren, a foster dad from Wales, and his wife Debra are careful in celebrating both Father’s and Mother’s Day in a fostering household because “it can be an emotional time for children in your care, so we are careful not to go ‘overboard’”. A card made by the children is the perfect gift.
The ability to listen, empathise, understand, and advocate for their foster children are amongst the most common attributes found in TACT foster carers. We have men of all ages and backgrounds fostering for TACT, with the differences of household being both unique and valuable. We have single men being wonderful foster dads and married men as lead foster carers.
Darren says, “There’s no one reason for choosing to be a Foster Dad, we do it because we love caring for children”.
Providing a loving and stable home is part of the criteria for becoming a foster parent to children who, for many different reasons, require foster care. A young person may specifically request a male carer as part of matching conditions and there can be various reasons for this. For example, a child may not have had a reliable male figure in their home – and this could be something that they desperately require from a fostering household. Alternatively, a young person’s historical experience of men may be entirely negative, so a nurturing male carer who is able to provide a stable and secure home could be an initial positive step.
Darren continued, “I love being a foster dad because I’m passionate about family – they mean everything to me. Being part of a large family myself, I know how important it is for young children to feel safe and cared for. My wife Debra and I want to give those who have not had the greatest start in life a chance to simply enjoy being children. It is so rewarding to see the children you have looked after having their own positive impact on the community.
“My message to all the foster dad’s out there is always remember the positive impact you are having by offering a stable loving home to a child in need. You are changing lives!”
Are you curious about becoming a foster carer? Read a couple of stories from TACT foster dads below, find out how to become a foster carer or dispel the myths surrounding male role models in our blog, ‘The Men who Foster‘
Inspiring stories for Father’s Day
TACT Cymru foster dad, Mark’s story.
TACT foster dad, Joe’s story.
