May 2007 News
Fostering - Case Studies
Case Study: Adeline Akande
Adeline, 66, took up fostering two years after the death of her husband. Her first foster child was a challenging 11-year-old girl. Adeline said: “When she first came to live with me, she didn’t take to being given rules and boundaries, as she was used to doing her own thing because her mother was very ill.
“But you have to think about where that child is coming from and after a few weeks, we really developed an understanding and our relationship grew.”
Adeline’s second foster child has been living with her since July 2006. She came from a family within which she had been mistreated.
She said: “When my second foster child first came to me she was very quiet and reserved as she had little trust in adults. She spent a lot of time in her room on her own, even though there would always be lots of people in my house.
“One day I said to her ‘as long as you are living here, you are part of the family. Whatever my grandchildren can do, you can do as well. You don’t have to be on your own’.
“After that she started to sit with me to talk or watch TV and now she is like another grandchild to me.” Adeline recommends fostering to anyone. “When you see the faces of the children and you know that they are aching, you just want to cuddle them and make them happy. If you can make a child smile then that is your reward and a joy,” she said.
Case Study: Barbara Bullock
Barbara Bullock has been fostering for seven years and never looked back.
Barbara, 56, said: “When my grandchildren went to school I was looking for something to do and someone recommended fostering”.
She feels finding out about the children’s lives is one of the most interesting aspects of the job. Barbara said:
“One boy I looked after had behavioural problems, so I had to learn how to deal with him.
“You also get to learn about someone’s cultural background if they are from a different country. It’s so interesting, it’s like going back to school in a way and it all helps you understand the child more.”
Because many of the children that come to Barbara are so young, she makes sure she records their time in her care.
She said: “I write a diary every day for each of my foster children. I write down what we did each day, if they went to hospital, if they visited their parents, or if we went to the park. Just little things. The idea is that when they read it and look back to that part of their lives, they know that while they were with me they were very much loved and part of my family.”
Case Study: Claire Totman
Having three children of her own didn’t stop Claire from being a successful foster parent.
The mum of 11-year-old twins and a teenage son, says it was her own experiences of demanding family life that has equipped her for fostering.
Claire, 49, said: “A lot of the children that come to me are from families where the parents just couldn’t cope, maybe because they are ill or have special needs, so it’s not their fault.
“I can empathise because at one stage I had three children all aged under three – so I know how hard to can be.”
Over the years, Claire has looked after children on a long-term and short-term basis, and accommodated those who needed urgent temporary foster care.
She has managed to divide her time well between the needs of her own kids and her foster children.
Claire said: “I tend to look after younger children, because it means I get to spend the day with them, take them to the park and give them the attention they need. When they go to bed, I spend time with my children so everyone gets their own special time with me.”
Claire now runs advice and preparation groups for new foster carers and is a mentor.
She added: “I can’t imagine not fostering. I want to do it until I’m too old to. It’s not hunky dory all of the time, but is rewarding and really good fun as well.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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