When Yolanda first started fostering with Banya, she’d been turned down by other agencies because of her single-parent status. It was frustrating for her to conclude that she was never going to be able to help children through fostering, especially as she has a large extended family who she knew would be supportive of her desire to foster.
Sadly, she’d been led to believe that fostering simply wasn’t an option as a single parent. When Banya got in touch with her as a result of Yolanda’s daughter writing to them to explain how much of an asset she thought her mother would be, Yolanda was shocked but overjoyed. It was just one of the myths surrounding fostering.
“Because I hadn’t known about the letter, Banya making contact with me came completely out of the blue,” she says, “but it was fantastic because I suddenly realised my dream to help give children a better life wasn’t out of reach after all.”
Having previously worked in end-of-life care for children and adults, Yolanda had a good understanding of some of the challenges that vulnerable people and their families face, and she was keen to begin helping in a more direct way.
Nine years later and Yolanda is a devoted foster carer who has fostered 12 children so far, most of whom have stayed with her for years. Even when they move on, they generally keep in touch to let her know how they’re getting on, and she says it is this understanding that you’ve had a positive impact that is overwhelming and what makes it such a satisfying and rewarding career to pursue.
“You’ve got to stick by them through thick and thin,” she said. “If you can do that, you’ll show them that you care enough not to give up on them. Then they start to realise they are good enough, they do deserve love, and they are worth the effort. The difference that this makes to the children in terms of their behaviour and how they feel on a day-to-day basis is astounding. I’ve seen some real transformations.”
Before being approved by Banya, Yolanda had no previous experience of fostering, adoption or the care system. She says she is very fortunate to have grown up in a loving and stable home with amazing parents, and she thinks it is their strong sense of social responsibility that made it seem normal to her to want to help those less fortunate than herself.
“Dad helped a lot of charitable causes,” she explained, “especially anything to do with the homeless and charities that helped children. It was just normal to us that helping others would be a part of life. If you can, why wouldn’t you?”
When she first started fostering, Yolanda says the fostering training offered by Banya really put her in good stead for the journey ahead and their support over the years has been invaluable to the success of placements.
“The combination of the support they offer as an organisation and that offered by my amazing social worker means I never feel alone with any of the typical fostering challenges that come my way. Being a good foster carer and having successful placements doesn’t mean avoiding or never coming up against problems and difficulties. It’s a question of how you deal with them when they do arise. I’ve always felt supported and encouraged with fostering and knowing you’ve got that behind you makes all the difference.”
Having seen the impact her mother has made and how rewarding the work is, Yolanda’s daughter, who is now in her late 20s, has started fostering as well and is keen to make it her long-term career.
“She’s seen how much the children I’ve fostered have progressed, the kinds of relationships I’ve built with them and the satisfaction I get out of it. The more she saw that, the more she wanted to do it as well.”
Yolanda says she has no plans to move on from fostering and would like to continue taking placements and helping children for as long as possible, as it’s more rewarding than anything she’s done before. She loves building relationships with the children in her care and helping them to feel safe and secure; and the variety that every day brings is interesting and stimulating.
“I’m so grateful to Banya for giving me the chance to foster,” she says. “I’m spending my life providing care and support to children so they can move forward and lead better lives. I honestly can’t think of anything better than that!”
If you’d like to find out more about fostering with Banya contact us today.
