My early career brings valued experience with me in caring for children, especially children who have disabilities.

My early career with children started in a residential school with children with disabilities. I feel the awareness and understanding I gained from this is now an asset to my role. Many of the children I support have additional educational and social needs; therefore,  I bring all my relevant skills to the position.

I have also had an involvement with a learning disability youth group for several years. This youth group was run by Caritas on behalf of our Local Authority; I utilised the skills I had acquired in my previous roles. Several of our foster children accessed the youth group, too, but, sadly, it was closed down due to funding cuts.

I now offer some support within our Supported Living Service and enjoy supporting a young lady and young man in their family homes.

Caritas value the input from each person equally.

I feel valued for the input I bring from everyone I work alongside. I know I can always approach my line manager in the same way I can approach my CEO.  We know that the door is always open, and I certainly experience this often. I have no qualms about having a voice and opinion, and I consider myself very fortunate because the staff teams are brilliant.

I love being a part of Caritas Care; I love the ethos and how we work across our services. We have bake sales, Carols around the crib at Christmas time, and we aim to be as inclusive as possible.  I am an active member of the fundraising committee and look forward to future events; Everyone is friendly, welcoming, and always open to discussion. I have never thought that I can’t have a voice at Caritas, we share thoughts and opinions, and our views are well accepted. Sometimes we differ on views; however, we work through these differences to a mutual agreement to feel comfortable. It’s not personal, it’s different ways of doing things, and each person is unique.

We all value the ethos of Caritas and represent the strong morals and values of the Charity through our work ethic. We have high expectations and want to offer the best we can and consistently deliver for our children and foster families. Working with the team provides a positive environment for children.  They know they can trust us; there is always someone there for them who will understand. Everyone at Caritas Care shares the same ethos; children deserve to have a safe and happy childhood with the best possible outcomes. As a result, I love bringing positive results with the team to achieve this for the children and young people we care for.

People should never lose sight of the experiences they bring from their lives to fostering.

I bring a lot of myself to my role. My own life experiences have helped me understand trauma and build up resilience and strength to get to the people I support. My experiences allow me to offer a warm and empathic approach, and  I genuinely want others’ best outcomes.

Working across different fields of social care has given me a wealth of experience and skills. I never lose sight of this experience, nor do I ever stop learning because I am passionate about new working ways. Therapeutic parenting is part of this training.

You can read more stories from Sharon HERE

Click here to enquire about fostering with Caritas Care

Rated Outstanding by Ofsted.

Special thanks to Verve Recruitment for their support in helping us find more foster carer for more children