Dan used to be in the Royal Marines before deciding that he had the space, time and experience to provide a young person with a stable and caring foster home. The first young person he provided care for had previously experienced residential care.

The main thing for me was that I wanted him to feel that this was his home and that he was safe here. The first few weeks brought challenges – but consistency, patience and taking the time to understand the young person behind their behaviour has been central to our relationship. Fostering has definitely taught me that you can’t always judge a young person by their behaviour. There is usually a reason behind it, and sometimes you have to look beyond what’s happening in front of you.

We’ve seen him grow in confidence and independence, from becoming more comfortable within the family home to taking an interest in health and fitness and developing greater independence through activities and cycling.

The biggest reward isn’t necessarily seeing a huge change overnight. It’s seeing the little things – a young person becoming more confident, laughing more, trying something new or starting to believe in themselves.

TACT appealed to us because of the support and the way they work with foster carers. We wanted an organisation where we felt we would be supported rather than just being left to get on with it. The fact that TACT is a charity was also important to us. Knowing that the organisation’s focus is on children and young people rather than making a profit gave us confidence that we were working with an organisation whose priorities were aligned with ours.

You don’t have to be perfect to be a good foster carer. You just need to be prepared to learn, be consistent and genuinely care about the young person.

Read more about Step Forward Fostering.