Tim & Bev - the moment we knew we wanted to foster

Tim and Bev's Story

Bev had always had an interest in fostering and adoption, which had been triggered by having a friend at school who lived in a children’s home.

When we first met, we discussed fostering and adoption before we married, but it was not on Tim’s radar as he had no experience or knew anybody that had fostered. That was until 18 years into our marriage, whilst on the weekend away in a shepherd’s hut, Tim was reading a book before visiting a project in Los Angeles. We remember the morning well, Bev was in the shower, and Tim was reading the book and came across a story of a lady who fostered children straight from the hospital with life-limiting conditions. 

That had such a massive effect on Tim that he could not speak for several minutes, and Bev came out of the shower thinking we had just had news that somebody had died. Such were Tim’s emotions!!

From that moment, we were both on the same page, which was important for us. From there on in, it was all systems go. We needed to move as we did not have a spare room to foster, and we also lived on a farm. The risk assessment for that would have been interesting, to say the least. As we went through our form F (which is the form that explores your reasons for wanting to foster and looks at your history), we decided to become independent panel members for another agency to help us understand more. We also became champions for a charity called Home For Good, which support families who foster and adopt. We did whatever we could to prepare. We both had quite a lot of experience that we wanted to bring to fostering. Tim working with Adults with learning disabilities as well as those experiencing homelessness and people with mental health issues, and Bev has worked with families and children for over 30 years since getting her NNEB straight after she left school. We also have two children, one who lives at home and one who has moved out.

We were initially approved for parent and child placements. Over the past two and a half years, we have had a mixture of placements which in part has reflected an unpredicted change in our personal circumstances. We are very blessed that our daughter, who is 19 and lives at home, loves us fostering, and we always say that although she cannot be an official part of the team for another two years, we are a team of 3.

We have had some fantastic experiences over the last few years, working with many amazing professionals and engaging with beneficial training in person and online. The support and encouragement we have received have been excellent from the moment we first enquired about fostering to the present day.

Watch Tim's interview below to find out more about his fostering journey, what tips he would give to someone thinking about fostering, and why you shouldn't wait too long to do it!