The Greater Manchester fostering community is made up of people from all walks of life, from all backgrounds, who open up their homes for children and young people who need it most. Below are just some examples of some of our foster carers who make the everyday ordinary, extraordinary.
CHIC AND ANGELA
Chic and Angela are heading into their 12th year of fostering with Salford City Council! As well as advocating for the children in their care, they always attend and support recruitment events and chat to potential future carers about the realities of becoming foster carers.
They also support Salford’s Foster Carer Association ran by Salford Foster carers. This was set up to support and guide fellow local carers, overall benefiting the community of carers by providing professional support and guidance.
Kesha
Kesha fosters with Wigan Council and makes a real effort for children to build positive and happy memories. Kesha took a young person to the Cinema to watch Wicked, when the young person saw Kesha dressed up, she screamed in joy and couldn’t stopping laughing!
Naheed
Naheed continued to share her home with a young person for 'staying put', whereby a young person can remain living with their foster carer up to the age of 21. His needs were great and he required a lot of support with independent skills, which Naheed and her family provided. Naheed has also been actively part of recruitment events for Trafford Council, encouraging Muslim families to consider fostering with their local council.
Esther and Peter
Esther and Peter foster with Tameside Council and have just had their first placement. They've gone above and beyond to ensure the children they’ve welcomed into their home, who were siblings, were supported and stayed together until their final move to their forever home.
Ilyas
Ilyas fosters for Bolton Council and along with his family, work to create amazing memories for the children and young people in their care The family are Muslim and since fostering, now celebrate Christmas as well as Eid! At Christmas, they make a big deal of it to create amazing memories for the children in their care. They host parties, have presents, crackers and Ilyas's grown up birth son even dresses up as Father Christmas every year!
lisa
Lisa has been fostering with Wigan Council for a year.
Lisa provides a very specialised type of fostering, sharing her home and love with a mother and baby placement, making a huge difference in both their lives. Lisa works closely with the young person’s previous foster carer and has created a warm and safe family environment in which both mum and baby can grow and thrive.
pam and rob
Pam and Rob foster with Stockport Council and have been fostering for 12 years! They're very involved in Stockport's Mockingbird family model, providing an extended family with other foster carers. This Christmas, they hosted a Mockingbird party with games, crafts, and a buffet! At this time of year, they make a real effort to share their family love and traditions, creating new memories for the children and young people in their care. This includes match PJs, their very own personalised tree decoration and lots of fun Christmas activities!
Ellen
Ellen fosters for Salford City Council and has been fostering for 16 years! She currently works alongside our Greater Manchester Recruitment Hub to offer support and guidance to people who are considering becoming a foster carer. Ellen also offers this same level of support to young people and children who will often stay in contact with Ellen even when they are no longer in her care, with her even dressing as Santa one Christmas to help a young person settle in!
Gill and paul
Gill and Paul have been fostering with Tameside Council for five years and counting! As well as being advocates, they take a positive family approach to fostering with having not only themselves, but their birth children involved.
andy
Andy is a foster carer for Wigan Council and is a huge advocate for the Greater Manchester Fostering Hub. He is always eager to go on initial visits to chat to prospective foster carers about fostering, providing a lot of information and support
Razia and chaudhry
Razia and Chaudhry foster for Trafford Council and along with their two grown up children, have given a lot to Trafford's fostering service.
Razia has also contributed to the fostering events, especially in the encouragement of Muslim families to consider fostering
The family’s focus as foster carers is to open their home to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and they are now moving to extend their home to make one more bedroom for child or young person that may need it
lynn
Lynn encouraged her husband to foster with her for Tameside Council .
From this he has experienced an excellent first year in his fostering journey! As well as this, Lynn is incredibly passionate about keeping siblings together and recently did so until they were ready to move onto their adoptive placement.
Michaela and liam
Michaela and Liam foster for Oldham Council and recently received their five year long-service award. They encompass everything there is about fostering, they are naturally child centred and love all the children they have cared for. Along with their own two daughters, Michaela and Liam have opened up their home to three sisters, on a long-term basis. The girls are an important part of their family and the whole family is amazing!
bernard
This year Bernard has taken courses to learn sign language as an extra skill set to benefit family and children within his care.
He also supports future foster carers and the Foster Carer Association to support Salford’s fantastic community of carers. Bernard says hearing that children they've previously cared for are doing well and remembering that they had fond memories of staying is the best reward.
angela and billy
Angela and Billy initially started their journey as kinship carers before moving over to become recruited carers with Wigan Council when the boys moved on. They go above and beyond for the children and young people they foster and are a true credit to the fostering community.
Jen
Jen has been fostering with Tameside Council for almost two decades! Jen does emergency fostering, offering her home to children and young people who need somewhere to go in a crisis. She spends time to settle them into her home while plans are made their short term placement.
BEV
Bev fosters with Wigan Council and has fantastic relationships with all of her foster children both past and present. Bev has also has recently become a foster carer advocate and she supports a multitude of foster carers