Hannah*, a 16 year old girl from Caerphilly county borough, has written a heartfelt letter to her foster carer, her ‘Nan’ to thank her for everything she does to care for her.
As part of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from 16th-29th May, Hannah has shared her letter in the hope that it will encourage more potential foster carers to come forward.
Hannah’s letter begins:
My role model is my Nan. My Nan is my foster carer and she looks after me.
My Nan is a positive role model because she is good at her role/job. As a foster carer she cooks us food, buys us new clothes and always takes us on holidays instead of putting us in respite. Also, she attends regular meetings and training so that she can learn how to help us and speaks to our social worker when we need her to.
My Nan is also a good role model because she is very kind because she has taken me in and given more somewhere to live. Nan has made me feel comfortable by welcoming me into her family.
Hannah continues by thanking her Nan for her calmness and patience for when she used to misbehave.
She continues:
My Nan is also a good role model because she is loving and caring. She is caring because when I’m down, she gives me hugs to make me feel better. She also worries about me, for example, she likes to know where I am going out to just in case something happens.
Another quality that my Nan has is that she is honest. Nan always gives me the truth. This is important to me because it stops me from getting hurt and this means that I can trust her.
My Nan is also considerate. She is considerate because if there is a new young person coming to live with us, she would sit us down and ask us our opinions. Nan is also considerate because she asks me what I want for tea – even though this is a small thing, it means a lot to me.
Hannah concludes by thanking her Nan for going ‘over and above’ in her role as a foster carer.
My Nan spends her own money on me, which shows that I am a part of the family, and that she treats me like one of her own. We also go on holiday together and she never leaves me behind in respite.
Therefore my Nan is an excellent role model for all the above reasons. She has shown me a different way of life. If it wasn’t for her, I would have ended up going down a really bad path.
Thank you Nan! Xxx
Caerphilly County Borough Council is currently looking particularly to recruit foster carers who would be willing to care for children over the age of 10.
Foster carers must be 21 years old or over – there is no upper age limit. As well as full training and continuous support, foster carers are also given financial assistance, including generous fees.
Cllr Judith Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Social Services said, “Many people I speak to are surprised to hear that the only criteria necessary to be eligible as a foster carer are to have some space in your home and time in your life – those who work aren’t excluded, neither are those who rent their property or those with disabilities”.
She continued, “Although fostering is a very big commitment to make, the reward of seeing a child that has been in your care go on to make a good start in life is fantastic, and the full training and continuous support we offer our foster carers, I hope goes some way to making their lives that little bit easier”.
For further information, please visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk/fostering or call 0800 587 5664.
*Hannah’s name has been changed to ensure her privacy.
