Starting with respite care helped a Hyde couple build a family

Amy and James Goldsbrough-Vernon began fostering by offering a teenager respite care. Three years on, the Hyde couple are long-term foster carers to two teenage girls, alongside raising their own young child.

They told the BBC that becoming a trusted, safe presence has been deeply rewarding. When they discovered they were expecting another baby, they told the girls before the rest of their families; the teenagers joined them at a scan.

Their experience shows how fostering can begin with a smaller commitment. The government’s guide to different forms of care explains that respite gives parents or usual foster carers a break, while long-term arrangements can continue until adulthood.

The couple acknowledge that caring can be challenging. Their experience cannot show how every placement will work, and the application process is similar across different types of fostering.

For this family, though, an initial offer of temporary support developed into lasting relationships. Amy says the girls now see themselves as becoming big sisters again.

Sources

• BBC News — ‘People talk themselves out of fostering’
• GOV.UK — Types of foster care