Gail did not plan to become a foster carer. The idea arrived quietly, in the middle of everyday life.

 

She was working in a council job, Monday to Friday, watching the weeks blur into each other. “It was just… blah blah blah,” she says with a smile. Around the same time, her youngest daughter was preparing to leave home. A spare bedroom appeared. And with it, a realisation. “I thought, I’m not finished being mum. I can do more.”

 

That moment stayed with her.

 

Gail got in touch with Care Visions, went through the fostering process, and thirteen years later, she has never looked back. “I wish I’d done it years and years ago,” she admits, “but the circumstances back then wouldn’t have suited me. This was the right time.”

 

Like many new carers, Gail’s first fear was natural. What would it feel like when a child arrived at her door, not knowing her, not knowing the house, not knowing where anything was? “It’s terrifying,” she says honestly. “Even wee things like showing them where the toilet is or where their bed is. They don’t know you. And you don’t know them.”

 

She began with short breaks, which helped ease that worry. “Once you get over that first hurdle, you just treat them like your own,” she says. And quickly, she realised something important. “Children in care are not looking for perfection, they just want someone to be there. Today, tomorrow, the next day. Someone they can trust.”

 

One weekend, a boy who was non-verbal came to stay. Gail remembers worrying about how she would best understand what he needed. A gesture he would make at this time caused Gail to assume that he was saying ‘no’. Then a neighbour spotted it instantly. “That’s John Cena, that’s the wrestler,” he said. Gail bought wrestling magazines, and the reaction was immediate. “My goodness, you would think all his Christmases came at once,” she laughs. That weekend stayed with her, a reminder that connection does not always begin with words, but with noticing, curiosity, and patience.

 

Over time, fostering reshaped Gail’s understanding of family. The young person she cares for long-term is simply part of her life. “She has her birth family, her foster family, and her Care Visions family,” Gail explains. “She knows there are different groups of people who all care about her.”

 

Watching children grow has helped Gail in ways she never expected. “Fostering has transformed my whole life,” she says. “You see a child come in struggling and, slowly over time, you watch them find their feet. When they feel safe, loved, and part of a family, they start to flourish.”

 

Her home is now filled with medals, trophies, and stories of achievement from the young person she has fostered, but for Gail, the real reward is simpler. Belonging. Confidence. Happiness.

 

“Yes, it’s the hardest job I’ve ever done,” she says. “But it’s also the most rewarding. I still learn every day.”

 

And for anyone quietly wondering whether fostering might be for them, Gail’s advice is gentle and honest. “Just lift the phone,” she says. “Ask the questions and have a chat.”

 

Sometimes, all it takes is a spare bedroom, the right moment, and the belief that your home still has more love to give.

 

If you want to learn more about fostering and the difference it can make to your life and the lives of children and young people - please click here.