Kellie and Alice’s foster care story
Foster care
“We believe you don’t have to be in a family situation to be able to foster. As long as you are willing to open your homes and hearts to a child in need, you can be a foster carer.“
Housemates and friends Kellie and Alice have been foster carers with Berry Street for 3 years. They are both single and work full-time as teachers, and do respite care for kids in care and for families in need of some extra support.
How did you decide to get into foster caring?
Kellie was interested in fostering and asked Alice if it was something she would consider. We went along to the training sessions, with the idea that if it wasn’t for us, we’d leave it. But we both thought it was something we would like to do and 3 years later, here we are. Being teachers, we saw children in our schools who we just wanted to take home and show them some loving care which was also a big motivator for us to look into fostering.
Did you think it would be possible to foster a child while living in a share house and working?
We both work full time jobs and are friends and housemates, with no children of our own... and we foster! So we believe if we can do it, anyone can. We believe you don’t have to be in a family situation to be able to foster. As long as you are willing to open your homes and hearts to a child in need, you can be a foster carer.
What has the experience been like for you?
It’s been a roller coaster ride. We’ve had our challenges but overall we would say it has been such a rewarding experience. In particular, we really enjoy seeing the children we’ve fostered and catching up with them when they come to us for respite. We’ve fostered a lot of children over our 3 years and each child has their own special place in our home.
What advice would you give those in unconventional living situations wanting to take up foster care?
Do it! We’re proof that people in unconventional living settings can be foster carers. If you’re interested in any way, just contact Berry Street and they will help you to decide if it is something you want to pursue or not.
We can’t imagine our lives without fostering and have thoroughly enjoyed being able to provide support and loving care for the vulnerable children and families in our area.
Become a foster carer
Anyone can become a foster carer as long as they are over 21 and can provide a child their own room in a safe and nurturing home environment. Berry Street carers come from a wonderfully diverse range of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
We know that becoming a foster carer can be a daunting prospect, especially because it’s full of unknowns. There are many different ways you can care for a child – by providing emergency accommodation, respite care for ongoing carers, or regular, ongoing care.
Caring for children in out-of-home care during the COVID-19 outbreak
