An aunt who stepped in to look after her great nephews 14 years ago has said she would do it all over again as she shares her “heartwarming” experience.
Sherburn-in-Elmet resident Wendy Wright, which is not her real name due to her fostering duties, found out at a family christening that her two great nephews – at the time aged six and two – were being taken into local authority care.
The 70-year-old knew they wanted to stay with family, so she stepped in to take care of them, despite having two sons of her own.
Fourteen years on and the youngest great nephew, Stephen, has just passed his GCSEs exams and started college while his older brother, Keiran, 20, has moved back into the family home. They both have treasured memories from over the years and have enjoyed family life and are thriving.
Ms Wright, who worked at St. Anne’s in Wetherby, at Mencap in Selby and at a regional nursing home, gave up her job to take care of the boys when she took them into her care.
She is now encouraging others who are thinking of taking the first step to become foster carers to come forward.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for children and families, Cllr Janet Sanderson, said: “We are extremely grateful to connected carers like Wendy who go above and beyond for their family.
“It is so heartwarming to hear how she has helped her great nephews go from strength-to-strength in life and she’ll be an inspiration to so many others who are considering fostering.
Ms Wright explained how fostering does have its challenges, but is a “richly rewarding” experience and one she would definitely recommend.
She said: “It was extremely hard at the beginning as each member of the family had different ideas about how the boys should be taken care of.
“However, I was the only one who would take the boys into my home as I could not bear the thought of them splitting up.
“We had different social workers in the beginning, which did not help, but the last one was amazing. She listened and we worked through any problems that came up together.”
She added: “Things got easier when I applied for guardianship. Fostering is an extremely hard role to do, but richly rewarding and heartwarming.
“My sons were there for the boys all the time and I had help from my siblings. When you see how the boys turned out for the better, you know how worthwhile it is.
“Stephen is now at college and such a lovely, caring boy with a great future ahead. His school were so supportive with him, which helped too.
“He even nominated me for a parent/carer ‘Hero of the Year Award’ which was a total surprise. I reached the finals and had a wonderful time at the awards ceremony.”
Ms Wright explained how privileged she feels to have been able to support their upbringing. “If I were younger, I would do it all again,” she said. “If anyone is thinking about fostering, yes, it is hard, but my advice would be to just do it.”
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for children and families, Mel Hutchinson, said: “When a child in care is looked after by a family member or friend of the family, known as a connected carer, there is a greater chance for them to settle and to reach their full potential.
“Connected carers do an amazing job and it can be harder for them to navigate family relationships and dynamics, whilst doing what is best for the child in their care.”
In North Yorkshire alone, at any given time about 300 fostering families are needed to offer a safe and loving home to local children in care.
There are a range of opportunities for anyone interested in fostering, including short break fostering or planned regular sleepovers which provide options for adults who work full-time to foster at weekends in a flexible way.
Foster carers receive full training and support to help turn young lives around. There are also tax-free payments and allowances available, as well as a £500 golden hello payment which is available for newly approved foster carers up until December 31.
Anyone considering fostering with North Yorkshire Council is asked to log onto https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/fostering-north-yorkshire