Eithne
Mockingbird has been a great success and it’s like having an extended family. We have a little community, our constellation – we have eight families now – it’s like our own little village.
We have social events – from golf to trampolining! – and we enjoy coffee mornings. The children really connect and I also host sleepovers, so I’ve been kept very busy. It’s a valuable support network.
Arun
It’s been a huge success for us as we’re first generation, we don’t have family here so it’s very important for us – it’s like we have so many relations – they’re family.
It’s also important for my daughter and she’s very much a part of it – she loves it!
There’s so many myths about fostering but I’d encourage people to speak to the team at Hounslow because the reality of it soon becomes clear. I was a single parent when I first expressed an interest, for instance. It doesn’t matter. We’re baby foster carers and I’d just encourage anyone to speak to people at the Council, you’ll be giving someone a chance.
Sukh
It really is like having an extended family - a safe place to get advice and you get a lot of support from the hub carer (Eithne) in particular, with sleepovers and emergency cover as well.
Most of all it’s the children that benefit from it. They make friends with other looked after children, and it normalises the fostering experience for them as a family.
We’ve been foster carers for ten years now and anybody thinking of doing the same would need to have resilience and a lot of love to give to the children. They need to be ready to help them through any difficulties and give them a sense of belonging.
