When Jack Andrews talks about his life, he doesn’t just speak as a professional in Thurrock Council’s Children’s Services, he speaks as someone who lived through the care system and came out the other side with gratitude, love, and a desire to give back.
Now a Personal Adviser supporting young people leaving care, Jack’s path began at just seven years old, when he entered foster care in Thurrock.
“I still remember the day I was taken into care, two people turned up and told me I was moving. As a seven-year-old, it was terrifying.” Jack said.
Jack’s early years in care weren’t easy. His first foster placement was challenging, and he was separated from his brother. But at age nine, something changed. He met foster carers who offered him not just a home, but a real platform to make him hopeful for the future.
“The first thing they said was, ‘You’re home, you’re safe, and we’re not going to kick you out.’ That sentence stayed with me. It was the first time I felt like I really belonged.”
Jack stayed with that family for nearly a decade. With their help, he learned essential life skills, like how to cook, clean, and how to manage money. But more importantly than anything, he learned how to trust again.
“They taught me what it means to be part of a family. We laughed, we argued, we did life together.”
Later, Jack moved to another foster family who had previously supported him through respite care, and that relationship became just as special.
“Both families are still part of my life. I’m even going on holiday with one of them and my partner this year. That’s how close we are.”
It’s this lived experience that now drives Jack in his work as a Personal Adviser. He supports young people as they transition out of care, helping them with everything from housing and education to everyday confidence.
"Personal advisors provide invaluable support to young people as they transition out of the care system. We start working with looked after young people from the age of 16 to start building those relationships and preparing them for adulthood.
“In my role, we support young people with their educational needs, housing needs and basically anything they may need in their general day-to-day life. That could be anything from setting up their bills, helping to find them housing and supporting them with their education and employment.
“I know what it’s like to be scared and unsure about the future. Now I get to be that steady hand for someone else.”
He credits not only his professional mentors but the love and support of his foster carers for helping him get to where he is today.
“I honestly don’t know what road I’d have gone down without them. They changed my life. They changed my brother’s life. And now I get to help others find their path.”
"There are so many children and young people out there that need the love that you have. If you can give it to them and you're willing to go for it, it really makes a world of difference.
“It made a difference to my life. It made a difference in my brother's life, and we are both so much better at it. I can’t imagine the roads we could have gone down without that intervention and support, and now I've come out the other side of it and I'm following my dreams.
“Thanks to all the love and support I’ve been given, I'm now doing what I love and I'm able to give back. Foster carers truly are real-life, everyday superheroes.”
Interested in becoming a foster carer? To learn more about fostering visit: www.thurrock.gov.uk/fostering
Or get in touch with Thurrock Council by calling 0800 652 1256 or emailing fostering.adoption@thurrock.gov.uk
