Over the past few years, myself and my wife had spoken about fostering and it got to the point where if we didn’t do it soon, we would never have done it. Sometimes you have to do something, even if it’s out of your comfort zone. After looking at various agencies, we gravitated towards TACT as it was a not-for-profit, meaning we knew the funding would be spent on the children and carers. Also, it being a charity was appealing to us.

Fostering has opened my eyes in so many ways. It has given me a new purpose in life as well as bringing me closer to my own family and children. I hope myself and my family have made the children we care for feel more included within family life and know that it shouldn’t be sad or filled with fear but instead filled with love, togetherness and a chance to just be a child where they are safe and cared for every single day. Just knowing this can have a huge positive impact on the children we care for and makes for a better life moving forward – not only for them but for the carers too.

I don’t believe there is enough awareness that males can be main carers. For a long time, caring for children has been seen as a woman’s job, but slowly this impression is starting to change. I hope that moving forward we can shed a light on males wanting to support and care for children in care, because I believe that we can have a huge impact. Many children in care may have a lack of a male role model and/or even a fear of males, so a male foster carer can have a real influence in undoing the damage this can cause. It can also have a positive effect on instilling boundaries and consistency and making lasting positive changes.

My advice to men who are thinking about becoming foster carers would be to just go for it! It is hard, yes, and it can be stressful, yes, but it’s also one of the most rewarding jobs you can do; to welcome someone into your home, give them a safe place to grow and hopefully teach them enough so that when they leave your home you have given them the tools to help them navigate adulthood.

Read about the different types of fostering you can do!