JULIE ' S STORY : FOSTERING IS A PRIVILEGE
“ If you have love in your heart , I ’ d say go for it – that ’ s all kids want .”
That ’ s the message from Julie McLean , a foster carer in Wirral for the last 15 years , who initially stumbled into the role due to a family crisis and then came to realise that what her and her family were doing was lifechanging – and not just for the children they cared for .
“ It was never something I had thought of doing ,” says Julie . “ I owned two shops and a café and we had two young children of our own , so I was quite busy already .”
It was only when Julie and her husband , Ross , became foster carers for their niece for two years that they realised the difference that care makes to the lives of young , often vulnerable people in need of the kind of love only a family home can give . It also changed their own lives .
“ I was getting more satisfaction from helping children than I was from running my businesses ,” Julie recalls , “ so with the support of my family , I decided to sell my businesses and concentrate fully on fostering .”
And over the last 15 years , she has become a mentor to other carers and an enthusiastic advocate for the foster care scheme in Wirral .
“ The social care team in Wirral were so helpful and supportive when we were going through the process to take care of my niece , that when the time came to apply to become mainstream carers , we contacted Wirral Council again . The support foster carers receive in Wirral is second to none , with supervising social workers and the rest of the fostering team always just a phone call or email away – even at night !”
Julie and her family have provided care in a wide range of circumstances over the years – from short-term fostering , day care , respite and bridging placements . They have also cared for children of all ages from babies up to teenagers , although in recent times they have concentrated on caring for very young children up to five years old . They do , however , still provide respite care for older kids .
Every placement is memorable for Julie “ as each child has a different story and we have been fortunate to have been part of their story , seeing them progress knowing that we have played even a small part in that process . It is so rewarding and something we are very proud of .”
However , there is one placement in particular that does stand out all from the others – the one they just couldn ’ t let go of …
“ As foster carers , we knew our role ,” Julie explains . “ We have been involved with looking after children until they found adoptive parents , or until they
were able to return to birth parents ; we knew it would be a lot of work and we were ready for it … or so we thought ! What we didn ’ t think would happen is that we would all fall so much in love with one of our foster children that we ended up actually adopting him ! We ’ d been taking care of him from birth , but we realised over time that we just couldn ’ t let him go . He is now 10 years old and loves us fostering the babies and toddlers . He knows he is adopted and is happy to talk openly to people about it ; we are hugely proud of him and the way he approaches it . If we hadn ’ t have become involved with fostering , we would never have met him - we know we are so lucky and grateful for that .”
Her experience as a foster carer has opened up other doors for Julie as she finds new ways to demonstrate her passion for the scheme . As well as mentoring , she has been active in the recruitment of new foster families and was at the forefront of setting up a group called Kids For Caring , which aims to support the birth children of foster carers , acknowledging that fostering is a journey the whole family has to be part of .
When asked about why people should consider becoming new foster carers , Julie is effusive about the opportunities she has been given through the scheme .
“ I always tell people , ‘ this isn ’ t a job , I don ’ t have a job ’. Being a foster carer is a pleasure and a privilege ,” Julie says . “ The purpose for me is to care and give the children the chance just to live as children , not having to worry about any of the bad stuff they might have experienced . We nurture them , show them how valuable they are and to appreciate how incredible they are as individuals .
“ There can sometimes be bumps in the road , but it is then that we appreciate the support of the fostering team and social workers at the council . We have seen the difference in the children that we have fostered over the years . In some cases , they might seem minor to us , but to the child those changes are massive . We take pride in their development and when they meet their milestones , but mostly being a foster carer is about giving them a home and making them feel part of the family from the moment they come through the door .”
Wirral Council need to recruit more foster carers than ever before . If you or someone you know has room in their home and heart to foster , or even if you are thinking about it and have questions and just want an informal chat , please get in touch .
You can email fosteringadmin @ wirral . gov . uk , call 0151 666 4616 , or visit the website wirralfostering . org for more information .
8 wirrallife . com