Welsh sons and daughters tell AMs about foster family life

A group of children in Wales whose parents are foster carers were recently invited to tell politicians from all parties about their experiences of growing up in a family that fosters.

Giving evidence to the WAG’s Children and Young People’s Committee earlier this month, the five sons and daughters of foster carers from Carmarthenshire described life in a foster family. The group presented a piece of work they had carried out entitled Ten Top Tips for social workers and parents on how to support sons and daughters of foster carers. The Ten Top Tips on setting up support groups include:

•    Making sure there is time to be together as a family
•    Giving sons and daughters access to training relevant to their role in fostering
•    Making sure that social workers always take the views of sons and daughters into account.

Freda Lewis, director of the Fostering Network Wales, said: “It was wonderful to see this group of foster carers’ sons and daughters present such an excellent and important piece of work to the committee.

"Foster carers own children play a vital role in fostering, they are often the ones who help a fostered child settle into the home and start to find their feet in a new family. It is essential that their views are listened to and respected as they make a huge contribution to the success of fostering.”