Soynnia's story

Soynnia started fostering when she was 56 and has carried on fostering after retiring from her admin job in a hospital at age 59. 

“The seed for Fostering was planted when I was at school. I said that when I got older, I wanted to adopt a child. I had thought about adoption and fostering for a while but hadn’t taken any steps. Then one day I got a call from a fostering agency, saying they were following up after I’d contacted them for more details. I told them it wasn’t me, and was very confused. When I came home my son told me he’d made the call, knowing I’d be interested! That was how it all started.” 

Soynnia rang a couple of local fostering agencies but was a little unsure. Then, knowing Barnardo’s name, she decided to give the charity a call.  

“Ultimately, I wanted to give a child a chance in life. It sounds like a cliché but I wanted to make a difference. When a child goes into care they have experienced some sort of trauma. I wanted to be able to fill in the missing gaps for them and make sure feel loved, properly cared for and safe. I wanted a child to feel they were also part of my family.  

“There are a lot of agencies out there but everyone knows Barnardo’s don’t they. They just felt like the right people to call.”  

Soynnia took the plunge and started training to be a foster carer with Barnardo’s. The service aims to have applicants complete the training and assessment in between four to six months, before their application is considered by a fostering panel.    

“The training is really thorough. As part of that, there are what I called ‘sessions on the couch’. It’s a time to reflect on your past, who you are and why you want to foster. You look into how you would adapt to a foster child living with you, how you would support them to understand their culture and support them whatever their identity.  

As her first placement, Soynnia welcomed a nine-year-old needing a short break placement into her home. Then she fostered an older teenager. Today, Soynnia currently foster a 14-year-old boy, James*, who has lived with her for just over a year. 

“He’s fantastic. I call him my boy. James has a really bubbly personality, he’s very curious and likes fun activities. He is a very intelligent young man,  way beyond his years, and is really knowledgeable too.”  

Soynnia recalls the first time her and James met. “I was sent his referral form to consider but at the time didn’t see myself fostering a teenager. I always saw myself with a younger child. But I kept looking at the email for some reason.

"At this stage it was an emergency short break so I thought I’d give it a whirl. The first night, when the social worker pulled up in the car outside my heart was going ’boom boom’.

"The door bell rang and I opened the door and looked out. There was this little face in the car looking at me. He came in and we started to chit chat. We just got on from the word go.” 

As the placement time lengthened, the bond between Soynnia and James grew. 

“We spent a lot of time together those first three months which solidified our relationship. I have never seen so many films in my life! We would watch them together and chat. He would tell me things about his life and family. It was a lovely time. We started to do activities together, things I never thought I’d do. Rock climbing, karting, swimming, quasar, such a lot of fun!

“Fostering is a challenge and isn’t always plain sailing but there are lots of highs.

“If anyone is considering fostering, I would encourage them to take that first step and call Barnardo’s. The training and on-going support and courses they offer are really great. Barnardo’s puts on several fun events for both carers and the child, our most recent trip was to Alton Towers. There are also regular carers’ meeting where you can meet other carers and share your experiences. 

“If you are reading this, I would say you know already given fostering a lot of thought and that you have what it takes to be a great foster carer.  If you feel you can offer a child the love and security they desperately need, then go for it!” 

*James is a false name 

For more details about fostering with Barnardo’s, please call our friendly local team on 02476 641206 or email [email protected].