Hear from Mary & Dennis about their experience of fostering with The CFT, after transferring from Local Authority.
We recently spoke with Mary and Dennis, who are foster carers with The CFT at our West Midlands region. Mary and Dennis transferred to us after being carers for the Local Authority for 5 years, and together they look after two young girls.
Read on below, to hear about the ease of their transfer, the extra support they’re now experiencing, as well as their advice to prospective foster carers.
How did you find the application and approval process with The CFT?
“Because we had already been foster carers, and we were transferring from the Local authority, we just needed to be refreshed in CFTs policy and procedures. We also had to go through final checks and assessments, but it was done very quickly.
We had been fostering 2 little girls who had gone back to their birth Mother, but then went onto another foster carer. It didn’t work out for them there, so I had a call from the Local Authority asking if I would take the girls back to live with us. They called The CFT and the girls came back and are still here with us. During this transition The CFT worked very hard to make sure everything went smoothly.”
What are your thoughts on the support and benefits that The CFT provide?
“With the Local Authority you and the children you care for have the same Social worker. With The CFT its great, you have a dedicated social worker for the carers – they provide us with individual support and advice.
Unlike Local Authority, The CFT’s Out-of-Hours contact is manned by social workers – not a switch board.
We’ve also been introduced to local carers here, this makes it so much easier if you have a crisis and need someone to look after the children living in the same town. There is that community feel here.
We have found that there is always something new to learn when fostering, so we take part in as much training as possible, in areas that we haven’t dealt in before – so that we’re more eqipped to face the challenges as and when they arise. The CFT provide an extensive range of training and we have thoroughly enjoyed the Therapeutic Parenting, and we use this at home.”
What inspired you to become a foster carer?
“Dennis was in the Army so every few years we moved around either in the UK or abroad. We always wanted to give a home to a child/or children who needed a home, but I was aware that our lifestyle would not give a child the stability they needed.
After we came back and settled into our house, my children had grown up and left home. I then had a 4 bedroom house and wanted to give a child a safe space. I wanted to create opportunities for them to live their lives without worrying, giving them life experiences that they would not have had without a foster home. We now travel abroad with the girls, they are growing up to be confident young girls, and they are both doing well at school.
We have had our challenges, our highs and our lows and it’s a tough job at times – but it’s very rewarding.”
Do you have any advice for anyone considering becoming a foster carer with The CFT?
“Do plenty of research. Bringing a foster child into your life is not the same as your birth children. These children have been let down by adults and it takes a lot of time and patience to gain their trust and love -but once you have gained their trust and show you care for them, everything else pops into place.
One important thing to always remember – these children have a birth family, and contact should always be encouraged.”
