The importance of having the right foster carers…
When you have foster carers who understand you, it helps you deal with things better. If I were unhappy in school, my foster carer would see me and say,’ what’s up?’ He could tell from my body language and see that something wasn’t right with me; sometimes it helps to have this and sometimes it doesn’t. Especially if you don’t understand it yourself, like when I didn’t pass my GCSE’s.
However, I knew it was important that my old foster carer and I understood each other, and we would chat to make sure that we resolved any differences.
My previous foster carers always knew when something was wrong with me. However, some foster carers don’t understand, and also, many children don’t realise that foster carers don’t understand. I have gained perspective on these situations, and I now understand these things better. My support and experiences now help me see how important it is to see all angles under challenging situations.
My older foster carers taught me that we have to have rules; however, I think these rules must be flexible, especially as you get older. Before I moved to Caritas Care and came to love with my foster carers, I had never been allowed the internet at home. I was 16 years old, and they let me access the internet and the Xbox like any other teenager. However, the bedtimes rules changed, and they became more relaxed because they knew I had missed out on the normal things in life that most children had. My foster carers knew I was getting a bit older, and they could see I wanted my independence, so they set about teaching me to move on.
My male foster carer started off by making me clean my room more, and he taught me to wash and keep on top of this cleaning by being responsible for it. He also introduced me to cooking and other bits and bobs that he knew I would need. I thought to myself, he’s getting me ready to be independent. I knew it wasn’t his responsibility to do this, and even now, my previous carers still checks up on me; it’s nice.
I know that my previous carers are not foster carers who are in it for the money. When you are a child in care, it is nice to know that you still belong to someone and are there for you if you have an issue.
My male foster carer got me ready to move; he knew it was what I wanted to do, and he is a positive figure in my life. My foster carers arranged for me to go to CAMHS to help with my nightmares, I would have sleepless nights because of them. My foster carers, especially the female carer and Caritas Care also arranged for me to have CBT therapy to help me with my nightmares.
Lucy, as always, shared the good sides and the bad sides with me, and she helped to decide on the pathways that were suitable for me, that I could take.
Note: Byron has currently and successfully completed his Level 3 Car mechanics course and is now looking for employment. Please get in touch if you could offer Byron the opportunity of an interview.
