Month: September 2025

“We’d got into a rut,” Sylvia reflects. “You get older, you’re on your iPad and he’s on his. Fostering pulled us back together. We’ve had to work as a team again.”  

When Sylvia first thought about fostering, she was barely 18. Life carried her in different directions, but the idea never really went away. Years later it was a family nudge that set things in motion. Her son pointed out that his uncle and aunt were fostering and suggested she look into it. A Facebook post followed, then a call from Progress Care just before Christmas, and the journey began. 

Andrew describes his first impression of fostering simply: “Just taking them in and looking after them, giving them a safe environment. Secure. Loved.” The reality was more intense. “I felt thrown in at the deep end,” he admits with a smile. The children who came into their home had their own histories, their own ways of coping. The couple quickly realised fostering was about gently helping them find their place in the world while respecting where they had come from. 

The adjustment was not without challenges. Their first evening with siblings was a sharp learning curve. “We didn’t know they had always shared a room, so we put them into separate bedrooms,” Sylvia recalls. “That first night was tough. But by ten-thirty, they were fast asleep, and we had to wake them the next morning at half eight. It felt like a turning point.” 

They discovered that small, consistent acts made all the difference. One child was quiet and reluctant to speak. “We just kept talking,” Andrew says. “Pointing out cars, colours, anything. Within a day, the change was huge. His social worker even said so. To us it felt natural, like parenting.” 

Getting approved as foster carers had been a journey in itself. Sylvia and Andrew describe the assessment process as “intrusive” and at times exhausting. “There were moments when I thought, why do they need to know that?” Sylvia remembers. “But then you realise they need to dig deep. It’s about making sure you’re really ready.” 

What made the difference was the support they received along the way. Their social workers checked in constantly, answered questions, and reassured them whenever doubts crept in. “I’d ring up worried something in our history might go against us,” Sylvia says. “But every time I asked, they explained why it wouldn’t hold us back. If anything, it showed we had life experience that could help us as carers.” 

The training, too, was less daunting once they realised help was always on hand. “We were sent nine modules at once, which was overwhelming,” Sylvia laughs. “At one point I pressed the wrong button and sent us back to the start. But our training team talked us through it and reminded us we didn’t need to overthink. Whenever we got stuck, someone was there to guide us.” 

By the time their panel day came, nerves were high, but they didn’t walk into the room unprepared. “We were told exactly what to expect, and our social worker kept reassuring us that we’d be fine,” Andrew says. “Yes, it’s nerve-racking, but you’re not left on your own.” 

Approval quickly became reality. On 17 July they were signed off, and within days they had a call about the siblings who are now part of their lives. “We’d asked for siblings, and when we read their details, we just knew they were perfect for us,” Sylvia says. But the first week was not without its stresses. The children arrived with almost nothing. “No car seats, no clothes. That was hard. But family stepped in straight away, sending us what we needed. From then on, things fell into place.” 

Andrew had just left his job in a chemical waste plant; having taken voluntary redundancy as the shop he had also worked for was closing. The timing, he says, was uncanny. “From the day we started this journey, everything lined up. It felt like this was what we were meant to do.” 

Support hasn’t stopped since approval. Daily logs are checked, social workers drop in regularly, and the couple know they can call for advice at any time. “We’re not expected to be perfect,” Sylvia says. “We’re expected to care, to listen, and to ask for help if we need it.” 

The experience has also reshaped their own relationship. “We’d got into a rut,” Sylvia reflects. “You get older, you’re on your iPad and he’s on his. This pulled us back together. We’ve had to work as a team again.” Organisation has returned to their daily lives too. “I used to be mega organised,” she says. “Over time I’d let that slip, but now I’ve found it again. Bags packed the night before, everything ready. It feels good.” 

They both agree fostering isn’t about perfection or special qualifications. It’s about character. “You’ve got to be open, loving, caring, and have common sense,” Andrew says firmly. “If you’ve got that, you can do it. And you won’t be doing it alone. There’s always someone there to support you.” 

For Sylvia and Andrew, the most rewarding part is watching the children grow. “They’ve already come on so much,” Sylvia says. “Sharing, playing, talking. School will see it too, I know they will. That’s what I’m looking forward to. People saying, I can’t believe the difference. That will mean everything.” 

This month, our foster carer in the spotlight is Linda. Watch her videos here.

“Linda has been a foster carer with us for over 10 years,” says Progress Fostering Manager, Michelle Earp. “Throughout that time, she has given her young person, placed with her at just five years old, an incredible sense of stability and belonging.” But their journey together has not always been straightforward.

Early trauma, a later diagnosis of autism and the daily challenges of growing up could have made life uncertain. Instead, with Linda’s patience and resilience, those challenges have been met with care. “She has shown what we aspire to see in every foster carer: patience, resilience, and above all, unconditional love. Linda has not only provided a safe home, but also a family, identity and a lifelong sense of belonging.”

Linda’s life has always revolved around people. For years she worked in kitchens, cooking for others. Seventeen years of chopping, stirring and serving meals gave her a steady rhythm, one that was later broken up by spells as a dinner lady, a school cleaner, a lollipop lady guiding children across the road, and even a stretch of office work. “I’ve done a bit of everything,” she laughs. None of it seemed like preparation for fostering, yet every role had something in common — caring for people, looking out for others, making sure they were fed, safe, and seen.

It was during a family trip to Sandwell Park that her life took an unexpected turn. Progress Fostering had set up a small tent, filled with leaflets and friendly staff. Linda wasn’t planning to stop, but her husband encouraged her to step inside. They struck up a conversation with a Progress social worker, and that simple chat planted the seed of a new calling.

The boy at the door 

In 2015 Linda welcomed a young boy into her home. His background had been difficult and uncertain, and the day he arrived was etched into her memory. He stood by the front door in tears, unsure whether to step further inside. Linda didn’t push him. She quietly let him know she was nearby if he needed anything.

That night was restless. Twice he came back downstairs after she tried to settle him. On the second attempt he finally slept through. By morning he was still hesitant, still hovering by the door. Linda offered him breakfast. At first, he refused, then at ten o’clock he changed his mind, sat down at the table, and began to eat. It was a small moment, but for Linda it marked the start of trust. “From that day, he never looked back,” she recalls.

He had come as a short-term placement, but something shifted. He began to feel safe, and her home became his. Nearly ten years later, he is still there.

Stability above all 

For Linda, fostering is about more than opening your front door. It is about providing stability where there has been none. “If you can ride out the ups and downs with a child, it is worth it,” she says. “They learn that not everyone is going to give up on them.” 

Her foster son has autism, something that wasn’t recognised straight away. Training with Progress, especially the Solihull approach, gave Linda the tools to understand him better. She learned how to recognise his triggers, how to calm him when emotions ran too high, and how to support him when he struggled to find words. Sometimes that meant letting him speak through a toy dinosaur, using play as a bridge for feelings he couldn’t otherwise explain. 

To some it might look unusual. To Linda, it was simply love in action. 

From brokenness to belonging 

Today, the boy who once cried at the front door is a young man in college. He is working hard to improve his grades and carve a future for himself. Life is not without its challenges, but he has grown into someone who smiles, laughs, and belongs. 

“He’s happy,” Linda says. “He’s a different child to the one who first came to us.” 

Fostering was never just Linda’s decision. Her daughter, only 13 when her foster son arrived, accepted him as a brother from the beginning. They argued like siblings, but their bond was real. Even now, as an adult with a child of her own, she still checks in to make sure he is alright. Linda’s wider family embraced him too. “They love him to bits,” she says. 

A full-time commitment 

Over the years, fostering became Linda’s full-time role. At first she balanced it with work, leaving her foster son in the care of her mum. But she quickly realised he needed her full attention. “It’s like having your own children,” she explains. “You learn their ways, their moods, their triggers. You can only do that if you’re fully present.” 

Fostering, she believes, is not for everyone. It requires patience, commitment, and a willingness to open your heart fully. “You have to treat that child like your own,” she says. “It has to come from the heart.” 

A joyful hard 

Looking back, Linda describes her journey with a phrase that sums up its contradictions. “It has been a joyful hard,” she says. There were challenges, long nights, and moments of doubt. But there were also breakthroughs, milestones, and the joy of watching a child who once felt broken grow into a young man with hope and stability. 

Her foster son now calls her family. For Linda, that is the greatest reward of all. 

 Inquire about fostering at Progress today. Visit: progresscare.co.uk/fostering