Mark & Jenny’s fostering story
“Fostering has been the most rewarding job we’ve done and we have some wonderful memories from over the years”
Get to know Mark and Jenny
Mark and Jenny began their fostering journey in 2006 and since then have supported single children and sibling groups for almost 20 years. The couple, based in Edenbridge in Kent, shared some of their experiences as foster parents.
The couple have two birth daughters. One of them, Thea, now 33, inspired the couple to take up fostering after becoming concerned about two looked-after children she attended SEN (special educational needs) school with. Thea was 14 then and Mark was serving as a governor at her school. Thea’s empathy towards the children – their wellbeing, their home life, how many foster parents they had – inspired Mark and Jenny to take the leap.
After looking into fostering Mark thought ‘these children need better, and we can do better.’
18 years and 16 foster children later, the couple are still loving their role as foster parents. They foster with the intention of seeing the children through to independence and are approved to foster three children at a time.
What’s life like at home with Mark and Jenny?
At the moment, Mark and Jenny foster three young people, a 10-year-old, a 13-year-old and a 21-year-old who is on a staying-put arrangement – this is where a foster child stays with their foster parents after they’ve turned 18.
Mark said:
“We’ve always been open to fostering children of all ages. If there’s a chance to improve a child’s life, we will take it and consider every single child.
“Fostering has been the most rewarding job we’ve done and we have some wonderful memories over the years, from seeing children we’ve looked after go on to have babies and build their own families, to delivering online baking sessions for over 600 looked-after children during lockdown, it’s been a life-changing experience.”
Transferable job skills
There are so many job roles that provide you with the skills to become a foster parent, and the career you already have has most likely provided you with some if not all.
Mark explained: “You need to be very resilient, open-minded, playful and flexible. But most of all you need to be unique and generous. You need to be able to step back and understand that this isn’t about you. Children need space to grow rather than being pushed into something..”
Why Flourish?
Mark and Jenny have especially loved their time fostering with support from Flourish Fostering and enjoy using the therapeutic methods they have learned in training.
“Therapeutic fostering is providing an environment for a child to grow. The care that the child receives is driven by the child’s needs, rather than your expectations of the child or what you feel is the right way to raise a child.
“Working with Flourish has been wonderful, we knew the people at Flourish and we trusted them, respected them professionally, and admired their theoretical framework.
“The most important thing for us is that the Flourish team respects their foster parents. If the parents are respected and supported, that feeds down to the children.
“I know that if I woke up at two o’clock in the morning with a problem, I could pick up the phone and somebody would be there to support us.
“We feel empowered as foster parents that we’re doing the best job possible.”
If you’re eager to learn and want to make a difference in the lives of children and are thinking about becoming a foster parent, please contact us
