Kerry's story
Kerry and her husband have been fostering with Break since 2022 having transferred from being a foster carer with her local authority, bringing their foster child Olli with them. Here Kerry explains just how easy it was to do and what drew her to Break.
"We had been fostering with our local authority for around four years and we were on our third foster placement, Olli who came to us at 3 and a half years old. He was going to be adopted but the judge ruled that there was a possibility of him returning to his birth family so he should remain in long-term foster care.
Olli began displaying some challenging behaviour and due to some changes at our local authority, we didn’t feel that our needs were being met. So, we started to look around at other agencies and when we came across Break, we knew we had to investigate further. I feel passionate that people shouldn’t be making money out of children and so moving to a not-for-profit organisation, coupled with Breaks ethos, it really was a no brainer for us.
“When we started having conversations with the Break fostering team, it was as if someone took the backpack off me. The weight had been lifted… they understood what we needed.”
When we started having conversations with the Break fostering team, it was as if someone took the backpack off me. The weight had been lifted and I knew instantly that they got me. They understood what we needed. They helped us to realised that we had been normalising Olli behaviour and we talked through how we could better support him.
The transition itself was really very easy and quick to do. We just sent an email to say this is my intention to move. There’s then a meeting one month after this, and a date is set and it’s job done! All in all, the process took four months from start to finish, but most of that time was background checks done by Break. I was really surprised how quick and easy it was. It’s been life changing and I can’t rate the team highly enough.
“The transition itself was really very easy and quick to do. We just sent an email to say this is my intention to move. We have a meeting, a date is set and it’s job done! All in all, the process took four months from start to finish.”
They’ve all gone above and beyond and I know that when they check in with me, they genuinely want to know how I am. There’s a really good balance between the professional and personal boundaries. Fostering can be an absolute rollercoaster and that kind of support that Natasha and her team give is priceless. I know I can cry in front of them and that’s ok. I’ve been able to let my guard down and not feel judged.
I feel known and, more importantly everyone knows Olli and that’s thanks to the wonderful family environment they’ve created. All of the foster carers have been so welcoming and supportive, and Olli has started to connect with other foster children at the activity days. We’re also in the process of being matched with a Support Carer who’ll be able to look after Olli when we need some time away.
And the best thing is that with Break’s Lifelong Offer I know that he won’t be forgotten and should the worse happen and he loses contact with us or his birth family, Break will always be there for him and will help him with whatever he needs.
I’d say to anyone who was thinking about fostering, do it. It will change your life in ways that you won’t even realise. It can be tough and it can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding and doing it with a charity like Break means we all get the support we need to make sure our little boy can really thrive."
Are you already a foster carer but looking to move to Break? It’s a really straightforward process and our experienced team are here to make sure your transition is as smooth as possible.