How the journey began
Michelle has been fostering with Foster Care Associates Scotland for six years, but her journey into fostering began long before that. Growing up in a fostering household, with parents who fostered, she saw first-hand what it meant to welcome children into your home – including both the positives and the challenges that can come with it.
Reflecting on her childhood, she describes a busy and sometimes overwhelming environment, but ultimately something that created strong relationships. “It was chaotic, it was mad, sometimes you did feel you kind of fell into the background, but it was great because you had a great friendship. You always had a friend.”
Although fostering wasn’t something she initially saw as the right path for her, Michelle instead spent the early part of her career working with children, gaining 16 years’ experience in children’s homes. While this gave her valuable insight and skills, she found herself wanting to make a more personal difference. She describes: “I started working in children’s homes and I was not getting enough from it, and I felt like I had so much more to give.”
It was a simple conversation with her husband that changed everything. “My husband just one day went, ‘what do you think about fostering? and then I agreed, yeah, let’s do it.”
From that point on, they fully committed – even adapting their home to make fostering part of their future. “We actually extended our house and built the same size of house again out in our garden with a pure purpose that we would be fostering.”
Looking back now, fostering feels like the right path. “Now I couldn’t see our life doing anything else. I really couldn’t.”
FCA Scotland’s Support
When Michelle and her husband began their fostering journey, choosing the right agency was an important step. After exploring different options, it was Foster Care Associates Scotland that stood out.
“I came upon FCA advertised on the internet and I started reading a little bit about it. I really liked the ethos, and just that first phone call I had, I just thought, I like this, I like how they sound.”
Six years on, she feels that initial impression has been reinforced by the support she’s received.
“I am FCA’s biggest supporter. I cannot give you a negative about them – there’s no one that I’ve came across that hasn’t been able to help me.”
Michelle highlights how important that support network is, particularly during more challenging moments.
“My supervising social worker is amazing and there’s always someone at the end of the phone or e-mail.”
Although Michelle lives in a rural area in Northeast Scotland, she has helped build a strong support network locally, bringing foster carers together.
“It’s such a safe space. You can go in and say exactly what you want and you know you’re not being judged, we bounce things off each other and we just really help each other.”
The assessment process and training
Like many people considering fostering, Michelle remembers the assessment process as thorough – but also an important part of preparing for the journey ahead.
Although she had previous experience working with children, she still found the process valuable in helping her and her husband reflect and prepare.
“It was intense, but we were very much an open book and we were like, this is what we want to do, and this is the process we’ve got to go through.”
Training was also an important part of those early stages, helping them build knowledge and confidence before welcoming their first child.
“We just sat and we did all the mandatory training within the first couple of weeks; I like training and love learning new things. I also love the fact it’s online learning, that is so much easier for me, I can do it when the kids are at school.”
Seeing children grow and flourish
Michelle is currently caring for two children, each at a different stage in their journey, and she adapts her approach to meet their individual needs.
One young person has been with Michelle and her family for almost three years and is now settled in a long-term, permanent home. Reflecting on how far she has come, Michelle shares:
“She’s been here for coming up for three years, she’s here on permanence. When she moved in, she was like, ‘you will never be my mum, you guys will never be my parents,’ and now we’re mum and dad, she’s changing her name to be like us.”
Alongside this, Michelle is also caring for a younger child whose situation is still evolving. What began as short-term has naturally developed into a longer stay.
“He was supposed to be here for six weeks, but we’ve had him for a year. He’s gone from having practically zero attendance at school to now jumping up in reading groups, he’s joined a football team and he’s just managing so much better.”
For Michelle, it’s often the smaller, everyday changes that mean the most.
“I think so much of it is a highlight, to be honest, I’m just so proud of them every day.”
Michelle’s advice for prospective foster carers
For anyone thinking about fostering, Michelle’s advice comes from experience – both as a child growing up in a fostering household and now as a foster carer herself.
“Just do it, do not wait, trust your gut and just absolutely go for it… and do not be scared to ask questions.”
Michelle is also open about the realities of fostering, encouraging others to stay patient and trust the process. “Sometimes the matches are not always right, but there is the right match out there for you and it will come.”
“We are offering such a stable environment to children and offering them just a happy, healthy home.”
Inspired by Michelle’s story?
Do you want to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people by becoming a foster carer?
Call us today on 0141 646 4805 or submit an enquiry form to learn more about fostering with Foster Care Associates Scotland, including our reliable, wrap-around support for your whole family, full training, and generous fostering allowances.
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