Meet the Teesside foster carers who do everything they can to make a 'positive difference'


A number of Teesside foster carers have opened up about how they make a difference in a child's life - and the most challenging thing about their role.

Redcar foster carer Helen Laing, dad-of-two Duncan Lindsay as well as Nikki Hart, 55, and Gillian Dove, 62, have all spoke about their foster parent journeys. From seeing child smile for the first time and the rewarding moments they experience to the hard goodbyes, these kind-hearted people have provided an insight into fostering.

Helen, 47, who has fostered for four years with her husband Mark, said: “I foster because I love children and want to make a difference to their lives. The best thing about fostering is seeing the difference you make to a child’s life by providing a safe and loving home and showing them that life can be fun.”

The Teesside mum began fostering in October 2020 when her son Harry was 15. “You can turn that child’s life round,” she added.

“All you can do is make the child feel welcome and part of your family. I would say do it, it's fun, it's exciting, it's interesting, you learn so much and it's never a dull moment.”

Foster carers Nikki and Gillian, from East Cleveland who have fostered for eight years, added: “We foster because we have room in our house and space in our hearts and want to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people. It’s the most rewarding thing we have ever done. Our advice for anyone thinking about it is to go for it.”

The pair have fostered 12 or 13 children during their foster care journey. “The most rewarding thing is seeing them smile when you haven't seen them smile for the first few days that they've come to you,” Nikki said

But they also spoke of the challenging moments that foster carers are faced with. “The challenging thing is when you have to say goodbye to them when you've had them for quite a while. We've done that with a few babies.

“We had one baby for 15 months and it was very difficult to say goodbye to her. Some of the challenges are listening to their stories and accepting that they've been through that and do have some traumatic experiences.”

Foster carer and dad Duncan Lindsay, from Eston who has fostered for over 12 years with his wife, added: “I saw some advertising on a billboard about fostering and mentioned it to my wife who had already been thinking about becoming a foster carer as well. The process is very thorough and took a while, but we have never looked back.”

How to get involved

Foster carers from across Redcar and Cleveland will join forces with the council’s fostering team on Friday, September 20, at a ‘meet the carers’ event taking place between 10am and 12pm at Kirkleatham Walled Gardens, Redcar. The event, part of a drive to recruit more local foster carers in the area, will provide anyone thinking about becoming a foster carer with the opportunity to find out more about fostering from existing foster carers and the fostering team over a slice of cake and a coffee.

There’s no need to book a place, just pop in anytime between 10am and 12pm on the day. Cabinet Member for Children, Cllr Bill Suthers, said: “The number of children in the care of the local authority has increased dramatically over the last decade which has led to a shortage in foster carers. The council is looking for families, couples and individuals from all backgrounds to place children in high quality local foster placements, where they have a stable home environment and the support to help them grow, develop and realise their potential.

“If you are thinking about taking that first step to become a foster carer then come along to the ‘meet the carers’ event and find out what it takes to become a foster carer from the experts.” Existing foster carers like Duncan, Nikki and Gillian and Helen will be on hand during the event to talk about their fostering journey.

If you think you can make a difference to the life of a young person find out more on 20 September, 10.00am – 12.00 noon, Kirkleatham Walled Gardens, Plantation Road, Redcar, TS10 4QT or contact the fostering team on 01642 444087 or visit www.fostering.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk for further details.

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