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 our third foster child, Olli was living with us. 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 difficult behaviour and due to some changes at our local authority, we didn’t feel that we were recieving the support we needed for our or Olli's needs. We started to look around at other agencies and when we came across Break, we knew we had to investigate further. I feel passionately that people shouldn’t be making money out of children and so moving to a not-for-profit organisation 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 realise how we could better support Olli.
The transition itself was really easy and quick to do. We sent an email to the Local Authority to say that we intended to move. We then had a meeting one month after this to make sure it was in Olli's best interest, and then the Break team started our assessment. All in all, the process took four months from start to finish, including background checks and meetings with our supervising social worker 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 sent an email to say thhat we intended to move. We had a meeting between Break and the Local Authority. 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 is a really good balance between the professional and personal boundaries. Fostering can be an absolute rollercoaster and the kind of support that Natasha and her team provide 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.
"And the best thing is that with Break’s Lifelong Offer I know that Olli 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. Fostering 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.