Fostering stories

Read and watch fostering stories

We welcome foster carers from all walks of life, and all backgrounds.

Below, a few of our foster carers talk about their experience of fostering with Barnardo's in a selection of written accounts and videos.

Sandra and Simon's story

Sandra, 54, and her husband Simon live in Liverpool. The couple have three birth children – Lydia, 27, Katie, 24 and Will, 17. They also foster twelve year old Ellie* who has been part of their family for four years.

Francine and Stephen's story

Gloucestershire couple Francine and Stephen Burns have been foster carers with Barnardo’s for nearly ten years.

Caroline's Story

Caroline had been a Supported Lodgings Provider (SLP) for Barnardo’s for 13 years before deciding to foster seven years ago.

Paul's Story

Paul and his partner Toni fostered through Barnardo's before he started working in the fundraising team.

Nichol's story

Nichol has been a full-time foster carer for the past eight years. She lives in Nottingham with her son and two foster children.

Nikola's story

Nikola and her husband Tony foster two children through Barnardo’s. Tony has two grown up children from a previous marriage and Nikola can’t have children so they decided to be foster carers in 2012.

Sharon and Tim's story

Sharon, 55, and Tim, 57, have been foster carers for around four years and with Barnardo's for a little over a year.

Cathie and Tony's story

During the last nine years Tony, 66, and Cathie, 60 of Abergele have welcomed five children into their homes.

Megan's story

Megan* and her husband have been fostering for nearly 8 years. Here, she shares their story.

Cheryl's story

During her childhood Cheryl was part of a foster family – her mother and father fostered children while she growing up, she said being in a foster family had a great positive impact on her life.

Simon's story

Read about Simon's journey towards becoming a short-break carer and how it makes him feel.

Heather and Adrian's story

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's story

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.

Yvonne and Amanda's story

Yvonne and Amanda, a couple from County Durham, talk about their experience as LGBT foster carers.

Jules and Jon's story

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's story

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's story

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's story

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.

Laura and Lorelle's story

Same-sex couple Laura and Lorelle talk about the fostering application process, and why they chose to foster with Barnardo's.

Sharon and Colin's story

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's story

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's story

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's story

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's story

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.

LGBT Fostering stories

A few of our LGBT+ foster carers talk about their experience of fostering with Barnardo's in a selection of written accounts and videos.

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Types of foster care

There are many different kinds of foster care, specific to each child's situation. Find out more about the many ways you can provide care for a child who needs your help.

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Enquire about fostering

The first step towards joining the Barnardo's family is getting in touch. Complete our online form or find details about alternative contact methods here.

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