Having previously worked as a Teachers Assistant in a local school, Robina knew her main passion was her love for children. Her sense of purpose around children’s lives and a desire to provide a secure and nurturing base for young people led to Robina becoming a foster carer with her local authority almost 12 years ago.
With five children of her own, she knew that fostering would mean that life would be even busier and there would be challenges along the way but, she was keen to help and willing to accept it wouldn’t always be easy.
Over the years, Robina has looked after children of all ages, from a variety of cultural backgrounds and with a range of challenges, so when she moved from council foster care to working with Banya Family Placement Agency six months ago, she was prepared for there to be a transitional period. However, Banya’s comprehensive and thoughtful support meant that Robina quickly felt comfortable and confident that she had made the right choice.
“Fostering with Banya was very different,” she says. “I immediately saw how much support they give as an organisation and how much of a joint effort it is when you foster with them. I genuinely feel like we’re a team, working together for the good of the children.”
Even if she only rarely needs to call on Banya for support, just knowing that she can and that they will respond in a timely and helpful way removes much of the stress that fostering can sometimes be known for.
“You just never feel you’re alone with anything,” she says. “If you need help, they’re there. I can’t even begin to explain how much of a relief it is to really be able to trust in that.”
Robina’s own children were supportive of her decision to foster and an important part of making the children feel welcome and supported.
“They’ve always really welcomed them in,” she says, “showing them where everything is and making a point of getting new children involved in games and play.”
This has been beneficial to her children as well as the foster children, says Robina, because it has helped them to understand that not everyone comes from the same kind of background or has the same experiences of childhood, and that it’s ok to need help and support sometimes.
The fostering support group that Banya runs, which includes other foster carers, is another source of support and encouragement, says Robina. Being able to share resources, tips and ideas with people who understand what fostering is like is not only useful, but invaluable.
“All the different kinds of support, help and advice that Banya provides in different forms really makes you feel they care about you just as much as they care about the children. It’s a real wraparound system and, even in the short period of time I’ve been with them, I can clearly see how well it works for both the children and the carers. It’s genuinely brilliant!”
Support has also come from other members of Robina’s family. In fact, the impact has been so positive that her sister started fostering two years ago as well.
“We love having a big family to provide love and support and it’s really good for the children to all have each other,” says Robina. “For example, we recently had a huge family gathering for Eid. All the adults and children were together and we just had a wonderful big family celebration. It was really special.”
Robina admits that one of the challenges of fostering is the emotional wrench when placements come to an end and the children move on.
“There’s no real point in pretending it isn’t difficult when they leave,” she says. “It is natural to build up a bond with them while they’re in your care, you wouldn’t actually be able to help them in the same way if you didn’t nurture that bond. It’s important. This does mean, though, that when it’s time for them to move on, it’s a loss.”
However, there is comfort in knowing what a positive impact you can have as a foster carer, says Robina.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to know that the time I’ve spent with them and the steady, loving, fun family home that I’ve been able to provide has helped them to thrive and make progress to the extent that they’re ready for the next stage of their life. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. What could be more satisfying than knowing you’ve made that kind of difference to a child’s life?”
Robina is able to keep in touch with the children she’s fostered and says it’s wonderful to hear news from them about how well they are doing.
“Hearing them excitedly tell me about all the good things that are happening in their lives and how well they’re getting on makes my heart soar,” she says. “There’s simply nothing else like it and I’d recommend fostering with Banya to anyone!”
