Stephen - Life as a Stay-Over Foster Carer

Stephen - Life as a Stay-Over Foster Carer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087679/fan_mail/new] In this episode of Voices of Fostering, we sit down with Stephen, a retired father of two who found an unexpected calling in stay-over foster care. After spotting an advert in a charity shop window, Stephen went from browsing to becoming an approved foster carer in just six months — and hasn't looked back since. Drawing on his own experience of being bereaved as a child and later raising his sons alone after losing his wife, Stephen shares how empathy shapes the way he welcomes every child into his home — from name plates and welcome books to matchday tickets at Turf Moor. Now having cared for over 25 children in just two years through short stays and emergency placements, Stephen opens up about building trust quickly, fitting fostering around retirement, and why he's on call any time, any day. A heartfelt conversation about resilience, flexibility, and the difference stay-over fostering can make. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here [https://www.nationalfosteringgroup.co.uk/]. If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk [podcast@nfa.co.uk] You can also follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nfa_fostering/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/NationalFostering], Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalfosteringgroup]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@NationalFostering]

Steve - Fostering While Working Full-Time

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087679/fan_mail/new] In this episode of Voices of Fostering, we sit down with Steve, who has been fostering alongside his wife for five years while working full-time at Transport for London. Steve shares how they balance a busy household of six children with hybrid working, what it was like welcoming their first placement during the pandemic lockdown, and the moments that make it all worthwhile — from unbridled Saturday morning fun to hearing relatives mistake foster siblings for blood family. Steve opens up about the assessment process, staying open-minded about who you foster, building trust with children who've had very different life experiences, and why fostering isn't a 9-to-5 role but a lifestyle the whole family shares in. If you've ever wondered whether you can foster while keeping your career, this honest and heartwarming conversation is for you. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here [https://www.nationalfosteringgroup.co.uk/]. If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk [podcast@nfa.co.uk] You can also follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nfa_fostering/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/NationalFostering], Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalfosteringgroup]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@NationalFostering]

Barrie - 11 Years as a Foster Carer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087679/fan_mail/new] What happens when fostering starts by accident — and ends up becoming your life's greatest calling? In this episode of Voices of Fostering, Helen sits down with Barrie, a foster carer of over 11 years, who never planned to foster at all. What began as a chance job in a local authority fostering team quietly changed the course of his life — and the lives of countless children. Barrie shares his journey with remarkable openness: navigating fostering as part of a same-sex couple, coming from a background of personal trauma, the panel experience, and the unforgettable moment a social worker first dropped off a nine-year-old. In this conversation you'll hear about: 🎲 How Barrie accidentally found his way into fostering 🏡 What it really feels like to open your home — and your life — to a child 🤝 The power of feeling held through the assessment process 💍 How he's fostered through marriage, divorce, and everything in between 💛 The small moments that make the biggest difference Whether you're a foster carer, considering fostering, or simply curious about what it takes — this episode is honest, warm, and impossible not to be moved by. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here [https://www.nationalfosteringgroup.co.uk/]. If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk [podcast@nfa.co.uk] You can also follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nfa_fostering/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/NationalFostering], Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalfosteringgroup]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@NationalFostering]

Suzanne - A First-Year Foster Carer's Story

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087679/fan_mail/new] In this episode of Voices of Fostering, Helen sits down with Suzanne — a foster carer who has just celebrated her one-year anniversary. Inspired by her own mum's fostering journey, Suzanne left a 16-year career in retail management to pursue what she now calls her "calling." She opens up about: * 🏠 What inspired her to become a foster carer * 📋 The thorough (and sometimes nerve-wracking!) assessment and panel process * 💡 How her perceptions of fostering changed in her first year * ❤️ The reality of caring for children with difficult prior experiences * 🤝 The power of community, training, and support through a fostering agency Whether you're considering fostering or just curious about what life as a foster carer really looks like, Suzanne's honest and heartfelt story will inspire you. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here [https://www.nationalfosteringgroup.co.uk/]. If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk [podcast@nfa.co.uk] You can also follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nfa_fostering/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/NationalFostering], Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalfosteringgroup]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@NationalFostering]

Daniel - A Single Male's First Steps as a Foster Carer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087679/fan_mail/new] In this episode of Voices of Fostering, Helen sits down with Dan — a single male foster carer who was only approved in January of this year. Dan shares his honest and inspiring journey from a long-term career at a supermarket head office, through redundancy, a moment of clarity on a beach in Weston-super-Mare, and ultimately the decision to become a foster carer with National Fostering Group. He opens up about: 💡 Why he decided to foster as a single man in his late 30s 📋 Navigating the thorough Form F assessment process 🧒 His first young person — a teenage boy with autism who lost his nan in January 🤝 The importance of building a strong support network 🔮 What the future might look like for him as a carer Dan's story is proof that there's no single template for a foster carer. Whether you're single or in a couple, male or female, young or older — if you can provide a loving, stable home, fostering could be for you. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here [https://www.nationalfosteringgroup.co.uk/]. If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk [podcast@nfa.co.uk] You can also follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nfa_fostering/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/NationalFostering], Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalfosteringgroup]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@NationalFostering]