Voices of Fostering

Barrie - 11 Years as a Foster Carer

• National Fostering Group • Season 5 • Episode 6

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What happens when fostering starts by accident — and ends up becoming your life's greatest calling?

In this episode of Voices of Fostering, Helen sits down with Barrie, a foster carer of over 11 years, who never planned to foster at all. What began as a chance job in a local authority fostering team quietly changed the course of his life — and the lives of countless children.

Barrie shares his journey with remarkable openness: navigating fostering as part of a same-sex couple, coming from a background of personal trauma, the panel experience, and the unforgettable moment a social worker first dropped off a nine-year-old.

In this conversation you'll hear about:
🎲 How Barrie accidentally found his way into fostering
🏡 What it really feels like to open your home — and your life — to a child
🤝 The power of feeling held through the assessment process
💍 How he's fostered through marriage, divorce, and everything in between
💛 The small moments that make the biggest difference

Whether you're a foster carer, considering fostering, or simply curious about what it takes — this episode is honest, warm, and impossible not to be moved by.

If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here.

If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk

You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and YouTube

Helen:

Hello, and welcome to this episode of Voices of Fostering. Today, I'm delighted to be joined by one of our foster carers who has been a foster carer for over a decade. Welcome to the podcast, Barry.

Barrie:

Hello. Thanks, Helen. H- Thanks for having me.

Helen:

Hi, Barry. Thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. So you're on 11 years now, you and your husband, aren't you? Wow. Does it feel like it's gone by in a flash, or does it fee- have you felt every one of those 11

Barrie:

years? If I'm completely honest, I feel like I've lived 10 lifetimes. Um, I, I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing, but yeah, yeah, there's, uh, there's a, there's a big difference between what, what, what… how things started and, and how they have, uh, ended up, that's for sure. Right. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster.

Helen:

Oh, wow. What a tease. Right. Okay. Well, do… start us from the beginning then. You know, I imagine it goes back longer than 11 years. Um, sometimes I speak to people who say, you know, they were thinking about becoming a foster carer for many years beforehand. How did it all start for you?

Barrie:

I'm gonna be really honest and say mine was totally accidental. Okay? I was in my mid-20s, and I was married, and, uh, we were having discussions about how could we welcome children to the home. So same-sex couple, so biology's out the window. So you start to think, right, well, what could a family setup sort of look like? Yeah. And we naturally navigated towards adoption. Um, we spoke to, uh, adoption services, et cetera, and they were very keen to have us, but they did point out the fact that our experience with children was, was pretty limited sort of thing, you know? We both worked, um, really busy, sort of 50, 60 hours a week jobs as well. Wow. So there was a few glaring holes of, um, how will this child fit into your life, et cetera. So I suppose to cut a long story really short, we had to, you know, there was those changes of employment and there was changes, things that we had to do in order to, I suppose, become better suited towards adoption. And just by an accident, I left a, a, a management role and went to go and work for a local authority, and I happened to go and work in the fostering team.

Helen:

Oh,

Barrie:

wow. As a all admin. Yeah, all administration, et cetera. Nothing too exciting, but it really gave you a behind-the-scenes sort of, a grasp of, you know- Yeah you know, what, what children sort of went through. And it was interesting because I'd changed jobs and we were doing things. We were, we were on a sort of year's pause to do a lot of tick boxes, so to speak, in order to go back to discuss adoption.

Helen:

Yeah.

Barrie:

At the time I'm sitting there, I'm reading reports daily about these children, and I'm realizing that I've got, uh, you know, a lovely home. Uh, I live in a nice area. I've got a good support network. I've, you know, we, we, we've got a lot of love to give.

Helen:

Yeah.

Barrie:

And I'm thinking like- You're ticking

Helen:

all the boxes … well- Yeah… Barrie: we've already taken biology so could, could I help these guys? And I'll, and, and we, we kind of went into it in the concept of thinking, right, do you know what? We could maybe do this for a year or two, and that would give me great, you know, a great experience and, and if we wanted to adopt in the future, then that's what we'll go ahead and do. But- Yeah … maybe we'll, you know, we'll, we'll do it. And I suppose working for a local authority, the first thing I thought of was, oh, well, I don't really want my work colleagues to come in and do my full assessment. You know, the, the the lady three offices down, I don't need her to visit me and ask me all about my life, so actually maybe I'll look at alternative options to foster. Yeah. And, and I happened to come across the, the NFA, and yeah, that's, that's how the journey started, from a phone call. Wow. Yeah. And then how quickly did it, did it happen after that?

Barrie:

Um, it was pretty… It was probably sort of, I think we were approved within about sort of 10 months sort of thing. It was quite in, it was quite, uh, intense. So what I really loved was the fact that I felt held and supported through the whole thing. You know, one, one thing that I pride telling people about our agency is the fact that we're well looked after and, you know, like, people are happy to talk, they're happy to have conversations, they're happy to, to guide us. And from, even from being linked in with another carer who was doing, you know, things that I can actually speak to, to I suppose just being able to ask the silly questions. Um, the supervising social worker that assessed us, I liked the fact that the first time she came to visit us she said, "Listen, this is gonna feel a little intrusive at times-

Helen:

Yeah

Barrie:

and you're gonna feel like by Christmas you should have me at your Christmas table. You know, I should be coming for dinner because that's how you're gonna feel about me towards the end of this. But we're gonna get through it together, and it's all for a good, a good positive thing in the end, isn't it?" And yeah, and we just got on with it.

Helen:

I really liked how you described that. We hear the word supported a lot, but I really like how you said you felt held throughout the, the process. H- how would y- how would you elaborate on that? How did you feel like you were held through it?

Barrie:

Well, I, I c- when a f- when a social worker first enters your house and you've got nothing really to do with social work, right? You feel on display. It's natural, okay. Someone's actually, you know, like everything… We- we've always got the, the, the basic human right that we go home at the end of the night, we shut our doors, and that's our space, and the world can, can sort of stay out sort of thing. When you're fostering, you have to actually acknowledge that you're opening that door- Mm-hmm and you are shining quite a bright light into your lives, and that feels really intrusive, which it would feel for any human being, you know? And what I liked about The Fact was that we weren't being tested, we weren't being scrutinized. They weren't trying to pick up bad things. You know, I think all the, maybe the sort of like the, the, the negative thoughts you can have when you're going through any assessment in life is almost like the inner saboteur saying to you, "That might not be good enough," or, "Maybe I should have said that differently." And what I l- really love about the, the agency in particular, even in the beginning, was I didn't feel anything was the wrong thing to say, uh, and I didn't feel that there was, you know… I didn't feel that they were looking for the picture perfect household, you know? Um, I came from a background of trauma, of a little bit of social work involvement, and let's just say parents that were not their best. And I guess at the start I thought,"Well, this means I'll, I'll never have the opportunity to do this,"'cause you'll, you'll look at where my upbringing was and you'll think,"Oh no." And actually, you know, that was embraced and it was discussed and, you know, we took strengths from it. You know, so I, I just think even during the scrutiny you realize that we're all going towards the same goal here. Yeah. You know, if, if you are, if you are the right candidate and you could make a difference to even just one kid's life, then actually everybody's on the same page.

Helen:

Yeah.

Barrie:

You've just gotta, you gotta sit with those uncomfortable feelings, but let's push past and get it done. Yeah, yeah. And I think that was, that's, that's, that's what I liked, to be fair.

Helen:

Yeah. You were working together. You were on the same team to, to get- Yeah … the, the best outcome really. So how, how did it all transpire then? You say it was about 10 months, then, uh, uh, presumably you went to panel. Um, what was that whole experience like?

Barrie:

So, um, for anyone that's watched reality TV where, like The X Factor or Britain's Got Talent or anything like that, take away the lights and the glam and imagine that lovely long table of all these people- that want to see what talent you have brought to the table.'Cause that is panel-

Helen:

Was Simon Cowell there?

Barrie:

Yeah. I, I kind of felt like he was gonna pop out at one point, if I'm honest. And I, and I just… You know, it's, it's a mix between that and, um, This Is Your Life, you know? Because honestly-

Helen:

Wow. Yeah… Barrie: you, you end, you end that document that reads, like, from your, say, maybe your great-grandparents up to maybe three weeks before you go to panel. Mm-hmm. It's your journey. And, and, and if it's… If you're doing that with a partner or a husband or a wife, it's their journey too, and it's, it's, it's quite an insightful read. Then you realize that you've just stepped into a room of maybe six or seven people who have read your life story as well. Yeah. So you know. And they all sort of ask their own questions, et cetera. But again, it, it's important to have that in your head and think, "Right, no one's, no one's trying to get you to fail here." People wanna maybe clarify some things. Yeah. People have maybe spotted the… In your assessment they've thought, "This isn't a no. This wouldn't cause you not to be a foster carer, but we would like you to consider it." Maybe we… You know, uh, it can be the most subtle things. It can be slightly bigger things. But I suppose, you know, I, I was asked about the fact that, you know, coming from difficult and complex relationships with my own parent, you know, how I would find times of stress, et cetera, when, you know, when I was receiving maybe complex behaviors from a young person, and where was my support network and how did I think I was gonna manage that. It's a challenging question. Mm. But you know what? It's the right question to be asked. Yeah. Isn't it? It's a very valid question to ask, absolutely. Yeah. So then you passed assessment. You… Yeah, the panel day went well. And how long was it until you had your first child come and live with you?

Barrie:

Okay. Ooh, I think just under three months.

Helen:

Oh,

Barrie:

right. Just under three months. Yeah. So, um, yeah, because I went back to work. You know, I, I went back to everyday life 'cause, you know, I thought, right, okay, like I'm, I'm not sure. And, and being lucky enough to work for a local authority, they said to me, you know, "If you need flexibility'cause you do get a phone call, you know, we're, we're good with that." So I went back to work, and yeah, there was… You, you know, you, you get a few phone calls, and you're, you're, you're given very small amounts of information about a particular person, and then you're asked if you think maybe you could be the match sort of thing. And, and then you wait, you see, and sometimes it comes to something, and, and sometimes it doesn't, and that can be quite frustrating. And then suddenly someone says to you, "Yep, you've been chosen. Yeah, this little person is, is coming to you." And, and that's, that's quite a feeling actually. That's, that's quite a… Oh, actually, 'cause you've been talking about it maybe for a year and a half if you think about it. Yeah. You know, you've maybe been thinking about it beforehand for longer, but you've been actively, you've been imagining this scenario in your head for, for a long time.

Helen:

Yeah.

Barrie:

And then someone says, "Hey, X is gonna arrive on Wednesday at

10:

00." And you think, oh, right then. That's gonna happen, isn't it? You know? So it's, it's, it's, it's, it's quite epic.

Helen:

And what are some of the practical things that you have to do in that moment? You know, have we got everything ready? You know, is there anything particular- Yeah that they need?

Barrie:

I think what I tend to do is I… Obviously, you, you, you've got a nice set up room, you've got a nice sort of space. But what I like to do is I don't like to over prepare because what I've found, and it, and actually, I, I'll tell you a little story, and then I'll explain what I mean by that. So the first person that was coming to stay with us was meant to arrive on a Tuesday, and at that time my husband had taken that Tuesday off his work because he said, "I would like to be there too." Yeah."But obviously you will be at home. I will be at work." And I was like,"Great." Anyone that's listening that either is a foster carer or thinking about being a foster carer, sometimes those timescales just don't go to plan. So you have to prepare yourself. So he actually was gonna come on Thursday, and there was no way that my husband could take that day off work. It was just, it, it just wasn't a possibility. Yeah. And I said, "Listen, it's fine. It's okay." So this little dude arrives. His social worker comes in. I open the door, and I'm not gonna lie to you, the nerves, 'cause you're thinking, "There's a small person out there, and they're gonna leave this small person with me. And what if- Yeah … what if they like me? What if they don't?" You know? But you, you put your big boy face on, and you open the door, and you say, "Hello," and, you know, you get a, a nervous smile. And I kid you not, and it doesn't always happen like this, for anyone that is listening, but I kid you not, the social worker walked in. She said, "Hey, and you are?" And I introduced myself. And she said, "Well, this is," and introduced the little dude. And I went, "Hey," and she went,"And where will his room be?" And I went, "Oh, I w- we'll go and have a look." And she's like, "All right. You can put your things over there if you want, mate." So he, he put his things down, and we went into the living room. And he sat down, and she went, "Right, great. I've actually got a meeting in about an hour, so, um, I'm gonna leave him here, and I'll give you guys a call. And y- you'll be all right, yeah? I'll come and visit you in about two days." And she walked out my front door. And

Helen:

you're like, "What

Barrie:

now?" And this, this little guy was, I think, about nine. And I, I'm a big kid at heart, which is probably coming across really quite easy. And I sort of looked at him and I said to him… And I used the word dude, which is so uncool, and it was background stuff. And I said to him, "Dude-"This is a bit weird, right? You're just here. You don't know me. I don't know you, and we're just sitting on a sofa and we're looking at each other." And he went, "Mm-hmm." And I went, "So how about we just get in the car, right? We go to the supermarket, 'cause I'm sure you like particular cereal." I was like,"I'm sure there's some stuff you want. You wanna eat food that you enjoy." I was like, "Why don't we go in shop and make sure that I, Barry's got everything in here that you actually like?"

Helen:

Yeah." Barrie: And then maybe, like, get, Or we could, or we could just sit here in silence and look at each other really uncomfortable." And he laughed and he went, "I think we should get in the car." And I went- … "That is a great idea." So to kind

Barrie:

of, kind of go back to your original point, we, we have the basics because you never know when that call's gonna come and what they're gonna need.

Helen:

Yeah.

Barrie:

But I like to take them out pretty soon. Sometimes day one, actually, if they're up to it. I like to take them out, even if it's just for a food shop, just to say, "Oh, is that your favorite cereal," right?"We're gonna put, you know… I've got your snack box ready. What do you like?" You know, "Oh, you like those duvet covers, do you? Well, oh, right. That's cool." You know, not every child will be up to it, and you learn that through the process. Yeah. But, so you- you've got all those standard things in your home, but I do like to take them out, 'cause it's… You just can't describe how terrifying it must be- Yeah … that these kids are just arriving in your home, you know? Like, if, if someone said to me as a, a 41-year-old man, "I'm just gonna grab a suitcase of your belongings. I'm gonna put you back in the car, and I'm gonna do exactly what happened in your first placement-

Helen:

Yeah… Barrie: and I'm gonna leave you a nervous wreck hiding behind the sofa. Yeah. It'd be awful. It's like, so I guess I, I use the settling, settling in thing just to, just to break the ice a bit. Yeah.

Barrie:

And, and as you can tell, and bad dad jokes work for me really well- … 'cause they can laugh at me, and that's okay.

Helen:

So yeah, going back to that first child then, by the time Andrew got home from work, were you, were you best mates? Was it going well?

Barrie:

Well, it was going well, but what's really funny is… Oh, this is- oh, now, now I'm gonna throw a complete whirlwind at you. So I was approved to foster with my first husband. So I have been a foster carer- Oh… married, separated- Oh … divorced, single, dating, live with, and married.

Helen:

Oh, my goodness. So- I'm so sorry, I assumed. No. I shouldn't have assumed. No, no,

Barrie:

no. No, no. But it's true. Imagine how many placements I've had in my house. That's all I can say.

Helen:

Uh, well, I mean, there's lots to talk about there, which we've talked about on the podcast before, that, you know, when life does change, and you do separate from somebody, and then someone new comes into your life, how have you navigated all of that with fostering? Because obviously that all needs to be taken into consideration, doesn't it?

Barrie:

Yeah. I think it's, you've got to be child-centered. You've got to be. You've got to be in a place where, listen, you have got difficulties, you've got challenges, things are changing in your lives. You know, we've had, you know… Uh, you can have these obstacles, but what you've got to do is you've got to say,"Well, I've got to keep everything as safe and secure for the children." On the flip side of that, you need to be upfront and honest and use your social work team as your, as they're intended to do. Okay? If you've got a difficult life situation that's coming, you don't pick the carpet up and sweep it under. Okay? You're not helping you, you're not helping the kid, and actually, it's not gonna go well. You have to meet these things face on, and you have to say, "Listen, life is changing. I need some advice. I need to know what's gonna happen." It is my in- you know, with me, it was my, it's my intent to foster, it's my intent to keep the children that I have right now in the home that they are staying in. I don't know how to navigate this. I've never done this before. I need you guys to come to the table and help me. So, and it's, and it's complex,'cause you've got your own emotions, you've got their emotions. Yeah. And then you've got the red tape of, of being a foster carer. But what I can say, I suppose in a, in a sort of positive light, is it can be done. You know? It, it, it, it can be done. And it's just, it goes back to being assessed. If you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable and being assessed, then if life does throw you, you know, the odds, whether you call it blockade or issue or, or whatever-

Helen:

Curveball… Barrie: you're more… Yeah, Yeah. That's more, that's a better word. Like, I think if life throws you that, you are better prepared because you're used to going to your social work team who, you know, hold you when they need to. Mm-hmm. And you can say, "Oh, well this is gonna happen. What do we do next?" Yeah. So, so this is some of the rollercoaster that you teased us with at the beginning really, isn't it? So what, uh, what have been some other sort of highlights for you? Maybe, maybe some of the ups, maybe some of the downs, maybe some of the times that have really shaped you as a foster carer. Is there anything else that stands out?

Barrie:

Yeah. I, I mean, I think there's the obvious, the cliches to say that you, you, you make a difference to some sort of children's lives and that can be, that can be really, um, lovely to feel. But I guess I think what I've, I think what I've learned over the 10 years is, is when I went into fostering, I was so new at it, and I looked at it probably from quite a standard parenting point of view. I hadn't been a parent myself, but you know, we all have the, we all have the knowledge of what we think a parent should sort of be, and I think fostering turned that on its head. I think when I finally started to think a bit more therapeutically, and I think when I started to realize the rejection a- and the experiences that these children had been through, I realized that we as the adults were the linchpin. So fostering's incredibly difficult at times, right? Anyone that, that does this role, it's a lifestyle. It's not a nine-to-five. It's not a switch off at the weekend. There is no annual leave, et cetera. And I will put a nice positive, I'm still doing it after 11 years with all that said. But I think what you have to understand is you are going to be tested and, and the, the ups and the downs are exactly the same thing for me because what happens is a young person enters your home, and they've already decided you're gonna fail them. That's not what you did. That's not what you said. That's nothing to do with you. You are going to fail them. That's how they feel.

Helen:

Yeah.

Barrie:

And you have to put yourself out there and say, "I am here." And then what they're gonna do is they're gonna challenge you, and I could speak for three hours, which I won't, about all the different complex behaviors and things like that that you can come across or ways of them communicating that they are testing you.'Cause they can't just say to you, "I think you're gonna let me down. Can we have a conversation about it?" You know, they're gonna have a, a massive tantrum in a supermarket and, and, and lie on the floor and, you know, and maybe be an 11-year-old and, and collapse a display and scream and shout at you. And you in the thick of those moments can either think, "Oh my God, what a naughty child. That's ridiculous. I need to get them told." Good luck with that approach. Or you have to find a way of saying, "Well, listen, what they trying to tell me?" Behavior is, is, is a conversation, right? They're scared. They're not feeling that great. So first thing I've gotta do, I've got, I've gotta break this tantrum in a non-growly way, and then I can maybe, what do you call, do repair work. And I think one of the biggest times that I can laugh at myself more often is that particular scenario of being in a Marks& Spencer's and then having a display, you know, crash down, and me putting my basket down, lying on the floor next to this young person and kicking off, pretending to cry, kicking off, pushing things. I mean, poor, poor on the, you know, passerbys. God knows what they thought. And the young person very quickly stopped and looked at me and leaned into my ear, and he said to me, "Could you get up? You're really embarrassing me." And I went, "I'll make you a deal. I'll get up if you get up, yeah?'Cause we're probably embarrassing each other, yeah?" And he went, "Yeah." I went,"Probably a better idea just to buy dinner and go then." He went,"Yeah, just get up." And it broke it. You know, like, like, uh, and I'm not saying that works forever, but I guess those are the moments that I look back and at the time I thought, "Oh, God, I don't know what to do." And I'm not saying what I'm telling you that I did was right, I'm just saying to you that that's what my gut told me. J- be fun, be stupid, distract, you know? And that young person's now quite a successful adult, and we can now sit and have a real good giggle about the time that the grownup that was meant to be responsible had a tantrum in the supermarket next to him. Mm. You know, it's, it's a real… It's moments like that through your journey that you just think back and you think, "It's hilarious." I, I like my comfort, I like my holidays to have plumbing and heating and all mod cons, and I still laugh with that first little guy that came to stay because I tried to tempt him with hotels with swimming pools, and I ended up in a glamping pod with no bathroom and campfires outside to cook with. And he still to this day laughs with me because he knows how much of a princess I can be- about where I go on holiday. And he thinks, "God, you must have really liked me to go there with me." And I was like, "Yep, yep. There you go. If that doesn't show love, I don't know what does." You know? Yeah. So it, it's all those times.

Helen:

It sounds like you've, you've learnt so much, Barry, and you've, you've really… You know, you've adapted to different situations. You've, you've sort of, um, I don't know, uh, maybe compromised somet- You know, there's been a lot of compromise. As you say, you'd love to stay in a fancy hotel, but you were in a glamping pod. Mm. You must feel quite proud of yourself for all you've achieved for these children.

Barrie:

To the… I mean, you're… I don't know. I think, I think maybe I, I'm always my biggest critic. I'll always, I'll sometimes go,"Well, I did that, but maybe I could have done that," sort of thing. Um, I'm… It's, it's nice to see where they're at. It's nice to see if their journey was only three months with you or it was six years with you. It- it's nice to see that, you know, they go and they do their thing, but they know they can come back. You know? They know when they f- when they finally left their, you know, their care journey and all this professional red tape that your, your family structure is built around, which takes a bit of time to get used to, um, you can throw all that away in the future and you can just be the guy at the end of the phone that, you know, they maybe will come up for Easter dinner or they'll, you know, they'll nip in to see you or you'll go and visit them, or just a text and things like that. And you just think to yourself,"Well, I wouldn't say I feel proud of myself," but I will say that it's moments like that that I just think,"Oh, well, you, you must have done something right then, right?" Yeah. You know? Like, I had a nice phone call yesterday with, with one of my oldest, and he randomly called to tell me that he'd got really good news at work, and I was just like, "This is amazing. You've just had a promotion." Yeah. And he was like, "It's not a big deal." I was like, "Well, it's a big deal to me." And I thought, I came off the phone and I thought, "He had the option to call whoever he wanted to. He's called me to tell me about it." So yeah, that, that, that feels good. You know? And, and, uh, it's, it's those moments as well that they, they mean the most actually.

Helen:

Well, I think you can definitely feel very, very proud of what you've achieved, Barry. Honestly, I really do. The difference you've made to, you know, 10 children, is it? 10 children's lives over 11 years. And how long do you think you'll continue to do it for, or can you just not answer that question?

Barrie:

I don't think there's a stop. I think, I think you change who you think you can help in the situation. I think it's, I think it's, um, a, a good thing to point out in fostering, like, as you know yourself, there's so many different types of fostering. You know, like, there's, there's people that, that just cover things like respite. And, and actually, do you know what, like, the, the ability to link in with another set of carers who feel like family, who… And also feel like family to the children, and the children get to go off and maybe have, like, a weekend with them and have a great time, and they want to go and they're excited, and you think to yourself, "I get a little weekend off. That's fantastic." You know? Like, e- everybody makes their, everybody makes their contribution. So I suppose I don- I don't have a, I don't have a, "This is when it'll finish."

Helen:

Mm-hmm.

Barrie:

I think at the moment I'm, I'm, I'm in a journey that I guess I'm, you know, I'm, I'm, I've, I've got, I've got two, two teenagers at the moment, you know, which is a great age. I'm sure everybody would agree it's the best age in the world. And I guess you have a point where you, you know, you, you feel like you're starting to take them into the next stages of their life, and you kind of, you look and you, you peek a little bit, um, and think, "Right, what comes next?" But actually, in our journey, we've, we've gone slightly different. We've actually just adopted a baby, so-

Helen:

Oh, wow.

Barrie:

Um, yeah. So that kind of, that kind of made us think at the moment that we're, we're good with what we're doing, and when said youngster is maybe a bit older, may- maybe we will continue to, to invite kids into the home-

Helen:

Yeah… Barrie: uh, later on. Well, it's been wonderful to speak to you today, Barry. Thank you so much for joining us. And, um, yeah, best of luck with the future. Just keep up that incredible work.

Barrie:

Much appreciated. It's good to talk to you. Thanks.

Helen:

Thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Voices of Fostering. If you'd like to find out more, head online and search National Fostering Group, and make this the year you foster.