After raising their own family, Derek and Diane decided to open their home once again and continue their fostering journey in the UK.
Derek and Diane started their fostering journey with Fosterplus in 2021, having spent 14 years fostering in South Africa. Once their children were grown up and had children of their own, Derek and Diane thought about opening up their home once again to a foster child in the UK.
Returning to fostering in later life
Their previous experience of fostering in South Africa was more informal, but Derek and Diane were keen to give fostering a go once again.
They said, “Our kids have grown up, with children of their own now. So we thought we could do something, we could make a difference and invest in a child’s life.”
Because their previous experience of fostering was less structured, they were a bit apprehensive about what to expect.
“We contacted Fosterplus, someone then called us to explain everything and we thought yeah, let’s give this a go.”
Derek grew up in a family that fostered and was used to being around foster children, which was an asset when it came to welcoming a foster child into their home.
The support is second to none
One of the things that we pride ourselves on here at Fosterplus is the ongoing support and training that we offer our foster parents.
Derek and Diane said, “I honestly feel the support we get from Fosterplus is really, really good. Second to none. Within three weeks of us getting through all of the stuff we had to do, we had our foster child, who’s still with us now, and that was four years ago.”
Having the right support behind you makes a real difference in fostering.
Derek and Diane said, “If there’s anything we need, we just ask our social worker. There’s always support from Fosterplus.”
As foster parents with Fosterplus, Derek and Diane have their own dedicated supervising social worker so that they’ve got the support they need when they need it most.
Making a difference
After 14 years’ experience fostering in South Africa, Derek and Diane were keen to make a difference in another child’s life here in the UK. They currently care for a 17-year-old who has autism and ADHD.
When he first arrived, he was really shy and wouldn’t speak to any other children who came over for a visit. But Derek and Diane had experience managing complex needs.
Diane said, “Our grandchildren have autism, so we knew what to expect. Not that any two children are the same, but we went at our young man’s pace.”
Going at his own pace was important for making their new foster child feel welcome and stable. In the years since he started living with Derek and Diane, their foster child has become more settled. Derek said, “He feels safe, he’s settled down, and he’s part of the family now.”
Their foster child went from being reluctant to go to school to enjoying college and has even taught himself how to build his own computer from scratch with the help of Derek and Diane’s son-in-law.
An achievement and a privilege
Reflecting on their time as foster parents, Derek and Diane are proud of what they have achieved, and how they have helped their young man flourish.
They said, “We would see our experience with fostering as an achievement and a privilege. It makes you feel good that you’ve given someone a safe environment and the love and care that children need. To see how far he’s come from four years ago to now. His achievements have made us proud.”
As Derek and Diane know, “there’s no such thing as being too old to foster.”
In fact, fostering in later life can even come as an asset to you. Derek and Diane said, “You’ve possibly raised children of your own. You come with life experience, and I think you’re a lot calmer.” All of the skills you’ve learned from parenting your own children are easily transferable to fostering.
Thinking about fostering?
Diane said, “The advice I would give to someone thinking about fostering is just do it. Just do it, because if you’re thinking along those lines, you’re halfway there. Because you’ve obviously got space, and time to do it. Fostering needs you, and a child potentially needs you.”
Are you ready to make a difference in a child’s life by giving them the loving, stable home that they need? Give us a call on 0800 369 8512 or fill out an enquiry form on our website to chat with one of our friendly advisors to find out more about fostering.
