A single grandmother who works part-time as well as being a foster carer has encouraged others with similar circumstances not to be put off by ‘myths’ surrounding fostering.
Roz, 61, works three days a week as a teaching assistant and lives as a single foster carer in her two bedroom apartment in Shirley.
Having worked with children with complex needs for 25 years, Roz felt that helping children within her own home through fostering is something she wanted to do. She cut her hours from full time to part time to enable her to become a carer.
She said: “I realised that I could either continue working full time or I could switch to part time whilst also giving a child a loving and stable home.
“People often think that you have to be in a relationship to foster but this certainly isn’t the case. It is important to have a good support network around you, however and I’m lucky that my family live close and are able to help out.
“I would urge anyone who is wondering whether they could be a foster carer to go for it – it’s the most fulfilling and rewarding thing you can do. Don’t assume that your personal circumstances are a barrier.
“The fostering team at Solihull Council has been really supportive and my supervising social worker is always on the end of the phone if I need her.”
If you would like to find out more about becoming a foster carer please visit https://bit.ly/3oegwyc or call 0121 788 4253. Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with news and events.