Fostering Stories

Putting aside age, beliefs and cultural differences, our community of dedicated foster families take time out of life to care for those in need, and we’re proud to stand beside them through the good and the bad.

From first steps and challenges to bonding and breakthroughs, fostering is always full of surprises – and that’s what makes it so rewarding.

Whether you’re thinking of becoming a foster carer, or if you are in the early stages of your journey, or you are already foster; our stories offer valuable insight into what it takes to be a foster carer.

Each account offers an intimate glimpse into the ups and downs of fostering and highlights the positive impact it can have on both vulnerable young people and their carers.

Explore our inspiring foster stories below

We were under the impression she would always be a child who would be vulnerable and may not reach her milestones that a normal four-year-old might meet. She has actually surpassed herself! She has no learning difficulties and to see how well she has come on and how happy she is by being given a secure family background…. It breaks your heart to just see how happy she is in her own little world and how well she is doing.

To see our foster children having similar days that my own children would have had and the joy they get out of it is the reward. It’s the little things like that, that they’re not treated any differently than my own children. They’re getting the same love, care and opportunities and hobbies that they want to try out and do; they just love it. We’re delighted that they may remain in our care long term.

One challenge that was greater than I thought was my own children adapting to fostering. Although I left fostering until they were a bit older, there is an impact for your own children, but it depends on their personalities. My eldest who is 20 must now accommodate two other younger children that she never had to think about before. But to see her caring for them is really good. They make such an impact too. It’s their journey as well but they’re happy to foster these two children. To even see my son give up the role of being the youngest in the family happily, because he wants these two children to be a part of this family, is lovely to see.

These two girls may be remaining with us until they are 18 years old. We’re delighted! They’re just such a part of our lives and are like two of our own children.

When I moved into my foster carer’s house it was excellent straight away. I stayed with my foster family for two years before moving on. My foster mother has been a pillar to me, supporting me throughout my time here and even to date. She is like my mother. Even now, she applies for jobs for me and encourages me to go for interviews. I live elsewhere but speak weekly and have overnight visits often with her. If I don’t ring her, she will ring me asking how I am. Where I’m coming from being alone, when I look back on my time with her, that is what motivates me to keep going, it was a great experience. Almost all the young people that have been with my foster carer always describe her like a mother.

I live with other people renting and work as a security guard in DCU for the past year. My strength probably came from having nothing to lose. When you have no one…no family, brother or sisters, I thought what else have I to lose?

The minute I was asked to share my story by my foster mother, I said I’d do it straight away. If it’s for Orchard Fostering, I’d do something every day for them as they helped my foster carer who helped me. I was always told by my foster mother that they were supporting us. I know the challenges that they (young people in foster care) still face to date. They don’t have anybody. If there’s anything I ever need, my foster carer still helps me.

Fostering is very very important. Most of the young kids don’t see the bigger picture outside this. I told the kids don’t rush yourself….look where I have everything. I have a job, a house and a say. But I still come to my foster carer and she still helps. I know if I need support, she is still there for me.

This young girl would drop the white stick and she would run….she ran like a three-year-old and the freedom for her was just huge! It taught us that often what we view as small things mean so much for them; this is something this girl really taught us all.

My children especially learned so much from her and they looked at disabilities in a completely different way. She was an incredible kid.

She moved on whilst waiting for a place in a supported living facility. This was what she really wanted. She wanted to be in her own little apartment with three other people and to be well supported. When she left us after two months she was absolutely delighted about her new home.

When thinking back about why we decided to care for a child with so many medical needs, for us the decision came down to the fact that she’d been in care since she was nine years old. Although there were a few behaviours there was nothing we couldn’t try and respond to.

Her medical needs probably worried me the most such as how would I manage her epilepsy and how her limited vision would affect her getting around the house and up and down our stairs. However instead, she actually showed us exactly what we needed to do for her. For example, how to lay out the house for her to walk independently, even how she liked her food on her plate. She told us where she liked her meat and veggies went, she’d work away on it herself; she was an incredible girl.

The biggest adjustment for us as a family was always wondering whether the kids were going back. There were stressful and chaotic days, but you just go with the flow of the day and you try get through it as best as you can. For me I switch on music and we dance in the kitchen; regardless of what we are doing. I find everyone then calms and becomes happier thereafter, forgetting what they were worried or unhappy about.

You’re always trying to hold back loving these kids, but you just can’t no matter how hard you try. You are always worrying will they leave you. As soon as we got word that no one was leaving that was the best thing for us. We just got on with being a family. We go with the trials and tribulations; the happiness and the sad times, just like any family.

Being a single foster carer, I wouldn’t have been able to do it only for my extended family. You need support. I would have been fine with one foster chid but when the next lot came along my extended family have been very supportive. Unless you have that network, it would be very difficult. I’ve two older daughters that are mothers themselves, so everybody minds everybody.

I’m absolutely delighted they’re staying long term. I have to say you can love children all the same. I love the foster children the same as my own children, the only difference is I didn’t give birth to them. All my own children now cannot imagine not having these children in our lives. We all believe it was meant to happen this way.

You don’t plan your life sometimes and we went from a family of four to seven and we wouldn’t part with any of us and that means any of us. We are the lucky seven!

Two years later she was being reunited with her mother. She had many visits from her mother in Ireland throughout the intervening two years to build a relationship given she was never raised with her. She also had two half siblings and a step father living in England. Aside from a new family she was moving to a new country again therefore had many adjustments to make. This was a big challenge for her but we reassured her about it all.

She wanted to stay for our wedding before moving over which she did. She said she wanted to give us a gift. It was beautiful as her gift to us was singing at our wedding and doing a reading. She was all excited about getting to buy a dress and be a part of the day. She had an amazing voice therefore this was a great gift to us.

This girl moved to London shortly after this. We then flew over to her to visit the following year…that was really good. We brought her to the Hard Rock Café and met her for a few hours. It was great. She told us she was in school as her mother had no money to send her to college; she was also working part time in a dentist.

When the lady she worked for asked about her and heard her story, she agreed to pay for this girl’s third level education in exchange for working part time.

This girl is now in third year doing a pharmaceutical degree. She’s doing really well. We saw her last year when she came to Ireland to meet our two sons whom she had never met. She even brought presents for them and to this day we still keep in contact.