My foster family made me believe that I could achieve

Now a university graduate, with her own son, Kerry grew up with a foster family. She shares her story, and why she would encourage others to foster with Essex too.

Our foster carers are helping children in care to unlock their full potential. Kerry is now grown up, and her foster family are now her son's family too.

Kerry's foster parents welcomed her into their home

"Going into foster care was scary and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was nervous and really shy," remembers Kerry. "But looking back now, I know that was the best thing for me. If I hadn’t have gone into foster care, my life would be completely different."

I remember thinking 'wow, this is what family is'

"My foster carers made me feel welcome as soon as I walked through the door. They were patient, within a week it started to feel like home. I remember sitting at the dining table and I’d never sat down to eat before with people."

Going into foster care helped Kerry's confidence grow

"My foster mum helped me worked on my confidence. When I first moved in, I was so nervous and anxious I wouldn’t leave the house. But my foster mum made me believe that I could achieve. 

She remembers the shy little girl from when I first moved in, within the space of five years, I was climbing mountains in Ecuador!"

Now, Kerry is achieving things she didn't think possible

"I believe if I wasn’t put into foster care I wouldn’t have gone to university and got my degree. I probably wouldn’t own my own home. I would have probably been a mum a lot younger. I honestly believe that my life would have been completely different in so many ways."

Kerry's foster family had their own daughter too

"My foster mum and dad had their own daughter, Grace, who was five years old when I moved in. They also had another boy that was fostered and it felt like a family unit. I was with them until I went to university at 18 and I continued to go back to them in the holidays."

Essex County Council support families and their birth children too. We have mental health professionals available, plus courses, helping young people understand.

Now, her foster family are there for Kerry's own son too

"Grace was very young when I first moved in but we soon became the best of friends. She loves being auntie to my son: we are sisters and I love her as a sister, we’re very close and still talk every day.  We support each other and my foster parents love how much support I give Grace as a big sister.

To me they are still my parents and they are grandparents to my baby boy. They adore him, and they adore me, and they are my family. As a new mum, I’ve learned from my foster family that I want my baby boy to believe in himself. He will have the values and traditions my foster parents showed me, and grow up knowing that he can achieve anything he wants.

Finally, what would Kerry say to anyone thinking about becoming a foster carer?

"A good foster parent is someone who is patient, and wants to help a young person achieve their potential.

I’m grateful my foster parents decided to foster because they changed my life. If you’re considering becoming a foster carer you should do it because of the rewards and the outcomes you see. You get to watch a young person thrive and achieve their full potential. You get to be the person that changes someone’s life."

Other children have shared how their foster families have changed their lives too

Like Kerry, as an adult in his 20's, Josh's foster carers have become his family. Josh shares his story of growing up with Iain and Karen and how they changed his life. If you could make a difference to a young person's life, get in touch to find out more.