Latest news with #fosterchildren
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
From retail jobs to foster parents in their 30s
Nine years ago, Mike and Andy were working jobs in retail which left them in a "cycle of nothingness". The couple, from Birmingham, wanted to experience family life. They decided to start fostering children. They were 30 and 33 - significantly younger than the UK fostering average of 54. Andy and Mike now foster full-time and have been sharing the rewards and challenges of their role. They are parents to a teenage girl and boy from different families - two of the nearly 12,000 children in care in the West Midlands as of January 2024. Mike said they had helped the children form a strong sibling bond. "The dynamic between the two of them is brilliant," he said. "They're just like siblings – they'll argue, call each other names, and then, the next minute, they're holding hands around the shopping centre." Andy and Mike believe their role is to help foster children overcome "unimaginable circumstances". Before she moved in, their foster daughter had seven homes in 12 months. She has now been with Andy and Mike for five years, and will stay until she is at least 18. She was a bridesmaid at their wedding. Andy said fostering without any preconceived parenting ideas had made the experience enjoyable. "Some parents can find it challenging because foster children have had very different early experiences to their own children, and they have to learn to navigate trauma and complex emotions," he said. The couple said they believed there were myths over fostering which deterred young people from inquiring about it. "Fostering is a way of life, and we see these children as our own, but it's important other people know that you are financially supported when you foster," said Andy. "We do a lot of training, learning, and admin while caring for the children around the clock. "You can also still go to work and foster at the same time, and you can foster if you happen to rent your home." Mike added: "We see the admin side of things, like the training and daily logs as work, but the rest of the time, they're just our children. "Sometimes it's really hard, but you don't give up on your own children. "They're part of our family and our life now, they bring so much joy and energy to our lives." Birmingham and Black Country: 4,808 Coventry: 724 Herefordshire: 412 Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin: 1,109 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: 2,491 Warwickshire: 778 Wolverhampton: 501 Worcestershire: 1,000 Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'There are lots of misconceptions about fostering' Mum's joy at fostering 60 children over 20 years Foster carers honoured at awards ISP Fostering
BBC News
4 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Birmingham couple go from retail jobs to fostering in their 30s
Nine years ago, Mike and Andy were working jobs in retail which left them in a "cycle of nothingness".The couple, from Birmingham, wanted to experience family life. They decided to start fostering were 30 and 33 - significantly younger than the UK fostering average of and Mike now foster full-time and have been sharing the rewards and challenges of their role. They are parents to a teenage girl and boy from different families - two of the nearly 12,000 children in care in the West Midlands as of January 2024. Mike said they had helped the children form a strong sibling bond."The dynamic between the two of them is brilliant," he said."They're just like siblings – they'll argue, call each other names, and then, the next minute, they're holding hands around the shopping centre." Andy and Mike believe their role is to help foster children overcome "unimaginable circumstances".Before she moved in, their foster daughter had seven homes in 12 has now been with Andy and Mike for five years, and will stay until she is at least 18. She was a bridesmaid at their said fostering without any preconceived parenting ideas had made the experience enjoyable."Some parents can find it challenging because foster children have had very different early experiences to their own children, and they have to learn to navigate trauma and complex emotions," he said. 'They bring joy to our lives' The couple said they believed there were myths over fostering which deterred young people from inquiring about it."Fostering is a way of life, and we see these children as our own, but it's important other people know that you are financially supported when you foster," said Andy."We do a lot of training, learning, and admin while caring for the children around the clock. "You can also still go to work and foster at the same time, and you can foster if you happen to rent your home."Mike added: "We see the admin side of things, like the training and daily logs as work, but the rest of the time, they're just our children."Sometimes it's really hard, but you don't give up on your own children."They're part of our family and our life now, they bring so much joy and energy to our lives." Children in care by area Birmingham and Black Country: 4,808Coventry: 724Herefordshire: 412Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin: 1,109Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: 2,491Warwickshire: 778Wolverhampton: 501Worcestershire: 1,000 Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABC News
13 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Foster mum Roylene Robinson now helps those in need in cost-of-living crisis
For Roylene Robinson, raising hundreds of children has been challenging but "very rewarding". For almost half a century, she has been a foster mum. "Mother's Day is a very, very big day," the 76-year-old said. "It's either the phone ringing or you've got emails or you've got messages or you've got people calling in … I find it very, very rewarding on Mother's Day." Ms Robinson has fostered 280 children over the past 47 years in her humble Rockhampton home in central Queensland. She also has four children of her own. The single carer said love and encouragement were two of the most important things a parent figure could offer a foster child. Ms Robinson dedicates her life not just to children, but to everyone in need. The doors to her charity store, Moo and Coo, open at 10 each morning and within a few minutes, it's always a hive of activity. "Everything's cheaper, much cheaper and it's like the original op shops," she said. "This is what op shops were years ago where people could come in find what they need and have a cup of tea. Ms Robinson is the heart and soul of the not-for-profit organisation that provides essentials like food, clothing and furniture to people in need. "This is a quiet morning. Saturdays [and] Wednesdays are much, much bigger," she said. With the nation in the grips of a cost-of-living crisis, Ms Robinson says many residents, particularly those on lower incomes, are struggling to afford basic needs like food, fuel, rent and electricity. While the state and federal governments are taking steps to address the issue, the situation remains challenging for many. "We do care packages, food packages, clothing, kitchen packs, baby packs for the hospital, so we do everything that we can, right now blankets and everything to keep the needy warm and fed," Ms Robinson said. "We quite often heat up the meals for the people off the street and give them a knife and fork." Laurel Mason is a social worker who regularly brings her clients — mainly those sleeping rough on the streets — to Ms Robinson's store. Ms Mason admitted she had even experienced challenges in meeting increased cost-of-living expenses in recent times. "I know even for myself, I've used Roylene's shop at one point when I wasn't working, so it was a great help to me at that time," she said. According to a survey of 3,600 people who had accessed assistance from The Salvation Army, 90 per cent reported it was difficult to afford essential living costs, such as housing, groceries, medical care and utilities over the past 12 months. The 2025 Red Shield report also found 70 per cent of respondents said cost of living was their biggest challenge in the past year while 87 per cent of households with children were living below the poverty line. Ms Robinson said she had noticed a huge increase in demand for essential items such as clothing. "The cost of living is happening to everybody," she said. "People are finding rents high, food prices have gone up, your petrol has gone up."
