Leanne has been a foster carer for Rotherham for 5 years. Leanne chose to foster with Fostering Rotherham rather than in independent agency because she felt that if they fostered through the local council, they would “be working with the people who work directly with the children we would eventually support”.

The application process was in-depth and, at times, felt “a little intrusive, but we should want to be transparent with our home life and family values to be able to welcome vulnerable children into our homes”. The Fostering Rotherham team made the process as “relaxed as possible”.

Leanne found the ‘Skills to Foster’ training “good and relevant to our needs as new foster carers” and has found that on top of the training foster carers receive during the application process, the Rotherham Foster Carer Association “offers even more insight and support from other Rotherham carers”.

Now, as a foster carer, Leanne “feels supported and knows who to turn to” and has found her new vocation to be a hugely positive learning experience.

“These wonderful, vulnerable little people we took into our home have taught us so much about hope, tolerance and resilience. We have laughed, been pushed to the limits and cried with our children and yet love what we do and the children we do it for.”

“They have become part of our family. We often say we should have done it years before we did.”

Leanne feels lucky to also have a large family who “all embrace the children and what we do and some of our family actively support us and are looking to take up fostering in the future”.

Leanne's Story

“These wonderful, vulnerable little people we took into our home have taught us so much about hope, tolerance and resilience. We have laughed, been pushed to the limits and cried with our children and yet love what we do and the children we do it for.”