Children and young people can come into care at any age, from birth up to the age of 18. While there can be a variety of reasons why a child may need to be looked after, there is one thing all of them need; a stable, loving home for them to continue to grow up.
Thurrock is home to amazing foster carers, and thanks to their care, they have helped to ensure some of the borough’s most vulnerable children are set up to live happy, healthy lives.
One of these remarkable foster carers is Jackie, who along with her partner Nick, has been fostering for 13 years – eight of those years with Thurrock Council.
Jackie has always been someone who has indirectly cared for people and helped to solve any issues they may have. This was something that inspired her to think about fostering 13 years ago.
“I’ve always been someone who looks after people. I used to run a construction company, and people often approached me with their problems—especially around children. My sister, who is a social worker, suggested I should be a foster carer and it was something I liked the idea of.
“I’d been thinking about it for two or three years and when I met my partner, Nick, we both shared an interest in fostering, which helped us take that next step together.” Jackie said.
Based in Brentwood, Jackie and Nick decided to foster for Thurrock Council, five years into their fostering journey.
“I previously fostered with an agency, looking after children from Barking and Dagenham, Essex, and Thurrock.
“Once I decided that we no longer wanted to foster for an agency, I chose Thurrock because, out of all the local authorities I dealt with, they stood out—particularly the social workers and the adoption team.”
Before fostering, Jackie and Nick both had children of their own, who were nothing but supportive of their fostering ambitions.
“I have one biological daughter. Nick has two sons, and together we have an adopted five-year-old daughter. We’ve really enjoyed parenting our children together.
“My daughter was heading to university and supported the idea—she even offered up her room. All our children have been very welcoming.”
With Jackie and Nick’s foster journey spanning 13 years, they have been able to make a lasting life-changing impact on so many children’s lives.
“We must have fostered over 50 children by now, and that includes all different types of placements— children from a few months old to 18 years, emergency respite care, and even parent and child.”
Parent and child care is a unique role, which aims to prevent children from coming into foster care and allow families to remain together. The carer's role is to provide guidance and support for birth parents to raise their child in a safe, supportive environment, so they can hopefully go on to care for their child independently.
“It’s very rewarding but also very challenging. Often the parent may be resistant and can even be a child themselves.
“One case that stands out to me is when we looked after a young mother who initially had multiple children removed from her care. A year ago, she sent me a thank-you card. She said she finally took on board what I tried to teach her and has since had another child, who she’s been able to keep. That was incredibly meaningful and makes you realise the impact care can have.” Jackie said.
Another aspect of Jackie’s role is as a Hub Carer for the ‘Mockingbird’ programme. She helps to bring foster families together into a supportive network called a constellation. The aim is to replicate an extended family, which allows the children and their carers to bond with others and support one another.
"It’s designed to replicate an extended family. Children benefit from sleepovers, fun outings, and strong relationships. We also support carers to maintain placements through guidance, training, and giving them breaks when needed.
“We host monthly activities for everyone and a separate monthly support group and coffee morning just for carers, which includes training.
“We’ve already been kept very busy! I average 24 to 28 sleepovers a month. Some are sibling groups, which means multiple children at once.
“We have already seen the bonds forming and it’s so lovely to see.” Jackie said.
Having fostered so many children, it’s difficult to pick out just one special memory from her and Nick’s journey.
“We’re so proud of the children we have helped to care for. We’ve had three that are now at university, one of which has just got a distinction in their first year and won a writing award. We have another child who came into our lives adamant she wanted to be a social worker, and she’s now studying social work.
“A lot of them still keep in touch with us. We even have the birth mother of one of our adopted children still keeping in touch—ten years later, which means a lot.”
Fostering is a big commitment, but the reward for helping to provide a child with the right tools and environment to grow and thrive is unmeasurable.
“If you’ve ever thought about fostering, give it a go. Come to a drop-in or pick up the phone. It’s hard work and demanding, but incredibly rewarding. If you’ve got the resilience, you can make a real difference.”
For more information about fostering with Thurrock Council, email fostering.adoption@thurrock.gov.uk or call 0800 652 1256.
