South Yorkshire foster parents needed: Could you give a young person a loving home?

But when he expressed those feelings to the social worker assigned to him and his husband, she said: “They did not turn up like this, it’s the work you have put in that’s made them like that.”

Her words have stuck with Allan, who says he gets “love and pure satisfaction” from fostering.

Now he is happy to support Team Fostering in its bid to find more desperately-needed foster carers in South Yorkshire and beyond.

He and Peter have been foster parents for five years and currently have three boys living with them.

“They are so close, we are a real family. We do everything together,” he said. Peter works as a structural engineer but after retiring from teaching, mainly autistic children, Allan wanted something to do which would be worthwhile and keep him active, using his brain and his skills.

“This is not a job,” he says. “I am retired from work, this is my life. These are my kids – absolutely.”

Allan does not shy away from the challenges of fostering young people. Most of the children they foster, who have ranged in age from primary school up to their eldest who is turning 18, have autism and some have had extremely difficult childhoods and traumatising experiences.

He is a willing advocate for Team Fostering, the not-for-profit agency which is a “small but mighty” organisation which recruits, trains and supports foster carers across Yorkshire including South Yorkshire, the Sheffield area, and down to the Midlands.

“The time has got to be right for you,” he advises those thinking of fostering. “You have to have a good heart and you have to want these kids to succeed. If you think about doing it for the money, you are in the wrong place.”

He says the rewards are incredible. His husband Peter had no experience of looking after or working with children, but has “taken to it like a duck to water”. Allan says the support of staff at Team Fostering, the interaction with other foster parents and the training really helps.

A dedicated supervising social worker is assigned to any foster carer and there is 24-hour support from Team Fostering for all those involved in looking after foster children.

Being gay, Allan thought could be a barrier to becoming a foster carer- but with Team Fostering the opposite is true. Casey Spence, from Team Fostering, says the more diversity they have in foster families coming forward, the more chance they have of matching a child with the right environment for that child’s needs.

Who can become a foster parent?

Anyone over 21 can be considered and there’s no upper age limit although most foster parents are between 30 and 65. You could be single or in a relationship, you could be living in your own home or a stable rental.

You do need to have a spare bedroom and to drive or be learning with access to a car, and you need to be available round the clock to support the children in your care.

Many foster parents don’t have a job, or live with someone who works but they themselves either don’t work or have very flexible, or part-time working arrangements. If you work part-time, from home, or for yourself and can commit to be there for the young person around working that will help. And having children or not, having pets or not, doesn’t rule you out either.

What support will you get?

Foster carers are helped financially but there are training courses, one-to-one support and in-person support and a dedicated supervising social worker with Team Fostering.

Once people express an interest in Team Fostering there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions, there will be home visits and assessments and it could be up to six months before you may be approved to foster.

Care could be overnight, or weekend respite care, or it could be more long-term. You can make a choice about the type of fostering that suits your life most. All of this would be discussed with Team Fostering

About Team Fostering

Team Fostering has been around for 21 years. The tight-knit team means you get to know them, and they get to know you. They offer extensive support, training and development, a comprehensive activities programme, and holidays with other foster families, so you never feel alone.

Find out more?

To find out more about Team Fostering, which works throughout Yorkshire and down into the Midlands, please click here to read more on its website or just pick up the phone and call 0800 292 2003 for an informal chat.