Heather and Adrian have been fostering with Barnardo's Northern Ireland for five years. They talk about the rewards of fostering, how it fits with their family and the support they get from the team at Barnardo’s.
Jem, from Reading, describes how rewarding it is to help young people learn skills that many of us take for granted, like managing money, cooking and socialising. Read her story or listen to her in our video.
Jules and Jon, from Inverurie, Scotland, decided to foster after their children had grown up and left home. They have been caring for a young boy for the last four years.
Ruby, from the East Midlands, has been fostering with Barnardo's for more than 25 years. Listen to Ruby talk about what she thinks makes a successful foster placement, and about the support she gets from Barnardo's.
Bev, from Coventry, offers specialist foster care to teenagers in trouble with the law (remand fostering). She says that with the right support, the majority of the young people she fosters achieve far more than they expected to. Read Bev's story, or listen to her talk about fostering in our video.
Viv and Ken have a wealth of experience, showing that age is no barrier to being a foster carer. The couple have been offering short-break foster care to teens for three decades and counting.
Sharon and Colin, from Belfast, have been fostering through Barnardo's for almost 30 years. They talk about caring for children with a wide range of needs and behaviours, and share some special memories.
Christine, from Manchester, has cared for more than 15 children with Barnardo's. Watch our video to hear Christine talk about the rewards of seeing the children in her care grow into young adults.
Vicky and Jane, from County Durham, have been welcoming young people into their home for four years. Read about, or hear Vicky talk about, their experience as foster carers.
Avril and Brian have been fostering with Barnardo's Northern Ireland for 14 years. They talk about becoming longer-term carers and the importance of building trust.
Cathy, from Cardiff, has been fostering teens through Barnardo's Cymru for 13 years. She says the most important thing is to have a listening ear: 'we talk a lot, and I do a lot of listening.' Read Cathy's story.
