Police jobs a spur to couple signing up for fostering
KEEN TO HELP KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE OUT OF TROUBLE
WHEN she worked as a police custody officer Louise Ross-Foden often saw people at their lowest point, and was frequently struck by how young some of them were.
Louise dealt with detained children as young as 10, many of them from the most troubling and difficult backgrounds, and recalls the difficulties she and her colleagues would encounter when they tried to find a safe place for them to stay.
Now, Louise and her husband John Dauncy-Foden, who also works for Leicestershire Police, are doing their bit to to help those children and young people stay out of the criminal justice system – by becoming foster carers.
Louise said they had considered becoming foster carers for a long time before making the commitment.
“I wasn’t lucky enough to have children myself, but I thought I could help just one of these young people stay away from a life where they end up in a police station. I had seen a lot of young people in a bad way,” she said.
John had four children of his own who have all grown up and have their own families.
He said: “I had a few friends who were foster carers and I always thought it was something I’d like to do.”
The couple who live in North West Leicestershire, took in their first child in January.
“He came to us a few days before his birthday so we tried to make it special for him,” Louise said.
The pair bought him presents and celebrated the day with him in his new foster home.
As pathway carers, the pair will be supporting young people on their transition from residential care to independent living.
John said: “It’s nice to be able to provide a safe place where he can thrive.
“He’s said to me I’m the first real father figure he has had and as more time goes by you get to really understand each other.”
Due to the child’s background, Louise said: “A lot of the things we do with him and the places we go, even the little things are first-time experiences for him.
“He’s got a life now and he can be a kid. It’s really sweet to see and even though it’s not always easy, it makes it so worth it.”
Despite the challenges that can come with being foster carers, the couple said it was “incredibly rewarding”.
“I have more resilience than I ever thought I would have – having had no experience at all in bringing up children myself,” Louise said.
They are encouraging others to join them in offering a loving and stable environment to young people in care.
Leicestershire County Council is looking for people like John and Louise to care for young people above the age of 10 who may have previously been in residential care.
Councillor Deborah Taylor, council cabinet member for children and families, said: “Young people need and deserve to grow up in a family environment, where they’re cared for and supported to find their place in the world.
“We know lots of people are reassessing their careers and there will be lots of people with the right experience to be a specialist foster carer.
“Think about the skills you’ve developed through what you do for a living and whether you could use those to change a young person’s life.”