Fostering was meant-to-be for Romford Mum

​Foster carer Donna Taylor

​Havering Council is marking national Foster Care Fortnight with a series of information events, where anyone interested in fostering can find out everything they need to know, from financial allowances to emotional support, and how it will affect them and their family.

​The events taking place are as follows and anyone is welcome to attend:

Romford Market Place:

 

• Friday 16 May, 10am to 2pm 
• Friday 23 May, 10am to 2pm

 

Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford

 

• Tuesday 27 May, 6.30 to 8pm

 

To support the national campaign to recruit more foster carers, Havering carer Donna Taylor has spoken out about how fostering changed her life, and saw her family grow.

 

It was a chance comment by a colleague when Donna, 41, worked in finance that first planted the seed to become a foster carer.

 

Donna, of Romford, said:

 

“My colleague was a foster carer and said he thought I’d be good at it. I already supported a little boy in Gambia and had always wanted to adopt, so I think that caring streak was always there.

 

“But after my colleague’s comments, I went home and discussed it with my husband, and while he wasn’t sure about adoption, he was completely okay with fostering.”

 

That was five years ago and now Donna and husband Jason, 40, are parents to not only their own two children, a son aged 17 and daughter aged nine, but foster carers to a brother and sister aged 11 and nine.

 

The foster children have been with them almost the entire time they’ve been fostering. They started out as short-term carers, with a few placements before the siblings joined their family, alongside their baby brother who was three-months old at the time, and has since been adopted by another family.

 

Donna added:

 

“They still see their brother and we have a great relationship with the adoptive parents. They also still see their parents regularly; I think it’s important to keep those links.

 

“The children were only meant to stay with us short-term, but we became attached to them and they to us, and now they are just part of the family.”

 

Now a full-time foster carer, while her husband works in the city, Donna strongly feels fostering was meant-to-be for her, as shortly after she began the process to foster, she was made redundant from her job.

 

She is also keen to point out that you are never on your own when you foster, you have a social worker and constant support, including from other foster carers, who enjoy an active social life and real friendships.

 

Donna added:

 

“I think I found my calling with fostering. I enjoyed my job in finance, but never felt it was really me.

 

“Anyone who’s thinking about fostering should go along to an event, or apply, and start the training. It’s the most rewarding thing you can do to see a child prosper and know you played a role in that. For me, it was important to find a balance in fostering, with my own children, and it was a struggle at first but I think I’ve found the right balance now. But I couldn’t have done it if my kids were any different; they are so laid back and caring and have completely accepted fostering into our family.”

 

Anyone who would like to find out more about fostering but cannot make the events should visit www.havering.gov.uk/fostering, call 01708 434 574, or emailfostering@havering.gov.uk.