July 1st 2023.
When Carol-Ann Morrison talks about why she became a foster parent, she gives a simple answer, but one that reveals a lot about her own troubled childhood.
"I wanted to protect a child from any of the things I encountered and give them a chance of a happy life – the one that I was denied," Carol-Ann, 60, tells The Agency. "My childhood was marred by mental, physical and sexual abuse and I don’t remember ever being a child to be honest. The reason I came out the other side is because I’m a very resilient person."
Currently, there are over 90,000 children in care in the UK and three quarters live with foster families. Unfortunately, a serious shortage of carers willing to take on such a demanding role means many vulnerable children are being moved away from their community, school, friends, and family. The Fostering Network estimates that 7200 additional households are needed across the UK to make sure that siblings can stay together and children can remain in their local area.
However, there may be misconceptions about fostering that are preventing potential carers from taking the plunge. After surveying 503 people aged over 18, it was found that many mistakenly thought house ownership, age, and nationality were requirements for fostering, while 69% said the cost of living stops them from doing it.
In reality, foster carers receive a fostering allowance – around £23,500 per year, depending on local authorities – and the rewards of caring for a child far outweigh the challenges. Carol-Ann admits she had deep reservations about fostering initially, but 10 years ago she decided to take the plunge. Since then, she has fostered nine children on long and short term placements, looked after 12 children on respite and right now she's caring for two siblings.
"Fostering has helped me lay to rest some of my demons," she explains. "You love them unconditionally, but the most wonderful feeling is when they love you straight back. Financially it’s not like my previous job, but it’s not about the money. It’s a privilege to watch these kids blossom and exceed their goals in life knowing I played a part in helping to get them there.”
Steve Carroll and his wife Kristin from Motherwell have also been foster parents for over 15 years. Overnight they became foster parents to three young brothers, aged four, seven and eight.
"We were straight in at the deep end, and it was a bit of an adventure, but we took it in our stride," Steven says. "The boys were wild when they first arrived, climbing all over furniture, into everything. We put boundaries in place – bedtimes, bath times, reading stories, and they very quickly settled into a routine. Very quickly, and unprompted, they called us mum and dad – it was very special and felt very natural.”
Being a carer is more than just providing a nurturing family home and stability to children and young people – many of whom have had a difficult start to life. There are heartbreaking moments, when placements break down, or children with whom strong bonds have been forged leave to be reunited with their birth families.
Despite the challenges, fostering can be incredibly rewarding. It's a chance for many to lay to rest their own demons, to give a child a chance of the happy life they were denied, and to watch them blossom and exceed their goals in life.
When Carol-Ann Morrison reflects on what motivated her to become a foster parent, her answer is simple - she wanted to protect a child from the same trauma she experienced in her own childhood. The 60 year-old describes her own childhood as marred with mental, physical and sexual abuse, and she attributes her resilience to the fact that she was never truly able to be a child.
At present, there are over 90,000 children in care in the UK, with three quarters of them living with foster families. However, with an estimated shortage of 7,200 foster carers across the UK, many vulnerable children in need of a stable family environment are being moved away from the things that form their identity, such as their school, friends, and wider family.
According to new research by Care Visions Fostering Scotland, misconceptions about fostering could be a major barrier for potential carers. Over a quarter of people surveyed believed that you need to own your own house to foster, while over 20% assumed that you must be between the ages of 30-60, and more than 30% felt that being single would be a barrier. Similarly, 25% thought that you must be a British citizen to foster in the UK, which is not true.
Compounding these misconceptions is the fact that raising a child is far more than a 9-5 job, even more so when they aren't your own. However, Carol-Ann believes that fostering gave her the chance to draw a line under her own troubled childhood, and decided to take the plunge 10 years ago after being made redundant from her job in a legal practice. Since then, she has fostered nine children on long and short term placements, and currently looks after two siblings aged four and six.
Similarly, Steven Carroll and his wife Kristin from Motherwell, have been foster parents for over 15 years. Overnight they became foster parents to three young brothers, aged four, seven and eight. Steven describes the initial transition as an adventure, and it wasn't long before they called the couple mum and dad.
Although there are heartbreaking moments that come with foster care, such as placements breaking down, or children having to leave to be reunited with their birth families, Carol-Ann says the rewards outweigh everything. She adds that it's a privilege to watch the kids blossom and exceed their goals in life, knowing she played a part in helping them get there.
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