“Transferring from another fostering organisation to Flourish is something we’ll never look back on.”
Yasmine and James* explain themselves as Foster Parents extraordinaries! They joined the Flourish family in 2021 having previously fostered with another organisation for many years.
“We spoke to people who were currently fostering with Flourish and checked the organisations Ofsted reports as we’d heard about the good work that Flourish was doing. It quickly became apparent that their ethos and excellent training and support they provide convinced us to talk to them about transferring” says James.
“We love helping young people to flourish” says James, and the Flourish Therapeutic parenting model provides us, as Foster Parents, with the skills and support needed to encourage children to help heal themselves.”
“We may only have a short time with a child or young person, maybe a year or two, but it can be such a significant time. You can really make a difference to the rest of their lives.”
Yasmine mentions that by sharing experiences and thinking outside of the box has helped her to be a great Foster Parent. “Exploring new ideas and being encouraged to attend the Therapeutic training with Flourish has really been a significant support to us.”
While Yasmine encourages more people to think about fostering, she’s the first to admit it’s not always easy.
“When you start fostering, it changes your life,” says Yasmine. “You see and go through so much with the children you take into your home, but the support you give them is vital. Being a Foster Parent is a profession and it’s not one you go into lightly.”
“Someone told us fostering is the hardest job in the world but over the years we’ve realised it’s not a job at all, it’s your life.”
“When a child is with you, he or she becomes part of your life. Everyone fosters differently but, for us, the children are our family. Foster Parents need to be caring, non-judgmental and it helps to have a good sense of humour and a good support network – something that Flourish Fostering offer in abundance.
“Transferring from another fostering organisation to Flourish is something we’ll never look back on.”
*Names anonymised for privacy purposes
