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Annual report 2006/2007 Fostering: Case studies
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Case Study 1 - The foster parents: The new face of fostering
Jim Telford, age 52 and Charlotte Telford, age 51, from Johnstone, Renfrewshire.
Jim, a taxi driver, and Charlotte, a part time nurse at Dykebar Hospital, are new to foster caring. The husband and wife received their final approval from Renfrewshire Council in February this year and immediately took in a boy age 4 and girl age 5.
Jim, a taxi driver, and Charlotte, a part time nurse at Dykebar Hospital, are new to foster caring. The husband and wife received their final approval from Renfrewshire Council in February this year and immediately took in a boy age 4 and girl age 5.
The couple are now registered with Renfrewshire Council to care for children aged 0 to 12 years old on a short term basis.
Both Jim and Charlotte are enthusiastic and excited about their new fostering role. Charlotte explains why they decided to start fostering: She said: "I love having children round me. We are a very child minded family, having had five children and five grandchildren we are used to our house being filled with kids running about. We had always thought about fostering and now that our children have grown up we have the space to start taking in foster children. It is great having young kids about us again, as we found that our house is a home again with the hustle and bustle of family life. The foster children have been brilliant and we feel blessed that we are able to offer these children a loving and stable environment for the time that we have them."
Jim and Charlotte's five children, who range in age from 21 to 32 have been really supportive of their parents decision to start fostering. Indeed, the couple’s five grandchildren have really enjoyed getting to know the new foster children when they visit their grandparents at the weekends.
As new foster carers, Jim and Charlotte are among some of the first to benefit from Renfrewshire Council’s new and improved foster carer allowance pay and support deal. Although Charlotte admits that money was not the main driving factor in starting fostering, she did say that the pay and support deal made the decision financially easier. She said: “Although we have always wanted to foster, the new pay deal has made it financially easier for us. It has allowed me and my husband to reduce our working hours slightly so that we can spend our time with the children, which is ultimately better for them in the long term.”
Although both Charlotte and Jim admit that their application process was thorough, and at sometimes quite personal, they both felt they were well supported through the process and received valuable help and advice from their dedicated key social worker.
Finally, Charlotte gave advice to others considering a career in fostering. She said: "I would advise anyone who is interested in child care or a career in care to think about fostering. It is extremely rewarding and well supported nowadays. You get assigned your own individual social worker, who along with the children's own social worker, will provide help and support when needed."
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Case Study 2 - The foster child: Fostering brighter futures
Kevin Browne, age 20 from Seedhill, is a young man who has experienced fostering first hand after spending many of his younger years in foster care. He is a positive example of the benefits of fostering.
Kevin was fostered between the ages of 7 to 8 and 10 to 13 years. He holds special memories of his foster years, especially for the Crangles, who fostered him between the ages of 10 and 13. He explains: "I really enjoyed my years with the Crangles. I built up a great relationship with them and felt part of their family. Staying there really worked for me, with their support I was able to get on well with school and make some great friends. It was sad when I had to leave them, but I still keep in touch with them."
Indeed, Kevin established such a strong bond with the Crangles during his time with them that he continued to visit them every weekend after he left them and would go on holiday with them every summer. He still even visits them each year for Christmas dinner.
Kevin had such a positive experience in foster care that he himself would consider fostering in the future. When asked if he could see himself becoming a foster carer, he said: "Definitely. The experience really opened up my eyes to what fostering is. I always say if you want to make changes, then you have to go back into it yourself."
Kevin's positive fostering experience has left a lasting impression on him. His life experience has been influential in him choosing his career with the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People, where he now works.
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