Emma's story: staying connected

For Emma, what began as a difficult personal moment for her family became an opportunity to support children who needed stability and care.

Emma has been fostering with Orange Grove in the Milton Keynes area for eight years. What began as a difficult personal moment for her family became an opportunity to support children who needed stability and care.

Emma and her husband already had one child, but after learning they could not have any more, they decided to take a different path.

“We started to foster because me and my husband couldn’t have any more children. We’ve got one birth child, so we wanted to turn something negative into something positive.”

Since then, fostering has become part of everyday life for their family, creating experiences that continue long after placements end.

Starting the fostering journey

Like many people who begin looking into fostering, Emma and her husband didn’t know anyone who was already doing it. They began researching online and eventually found Orange Grove.

“We found Orange Grove online and had an initial visit where they came to the house and talked through what fostering would look like.”

The assessment process takes time, as it looks at a family’s background, experience and readiness to foster. For Emma, being open and honest made the process much easier.

“We had an assessing social worker and went through the full assessment process looking at our background and experiences. It all went to panel and luckily we were approved.”

A range of different placements

Over the past eight years, Emma and her family have fostered around eight children, with placements ranging from emergency care to longer-term support.

Some children returned to their families, some moved into long-term fostering, and others were adopted. Each experience brought its own challenges and rewards.

Emma’s first placement involved supporting a young person who later returned home to live with their mum.

“That was really nice for our first placement, to know we helped her and her parent to be able to reunite.”

Staying connected

One of the most rewarding parts of fostering for Emma has been maintaining relationships with some of the children she has cared for.

Two children who lived with Emma and her family were later adopted. Rather than losing contact, the relationship continued.

“They got adopted, which was really nice. We’re now an extended part of their family. We still see them at least once a month and they come for sleepovers.”

These connections show how meaningful foster relationships can be, even when children move on to their next chapter.

Emma also experienced a special moment when one of the teenagers she fostered returned years later.

“After she turned 18 and was no longer in care, she reached out to us. We welcomed her back into our home again and it’s really nice to see how she’s getting on.”

For Emma, knowing that young people feel comfortable reconnecting is one of the most rewarding parts of fostering.

“It’s really rewarding to know you’ve had that positive impact in their life and that they know they can come back.”

The reality of fostering

Emma is honest that fostering can bring both joyful and difficult moments. Supporting children who have experienced challenging circumstances takes patience and understanding.

“Fostering is very up and down. You get really good moments and then some sad moments, but the good definitely outweighs the bad.” What makes it worthwhile is seeing children grow, settle and gain confidence while they are part of the family.

“Seeing the changes in the children from when they first come to us to when they leave is just amazing.”

Support from Orange Grove

For Emma, the support from Orange Grove has played an important role throughout her fostering journey.

“Fostering with Orange Grove is amazing. You get so much support from the social workers and managers, and nothing is ever too much trouble.”

From regular training to coffee mornings and activities for children, Emma describes Orange Grove as feeling like an extended family.

Thinking about fostering?

Emma’s advice for anyone considering fostering is simple. “Just do it. Don’t look back. Just do it.”

Fostering gives you the chance to support a young person during an important part of their life. Sometimes that support lasts for months or years. Sometimes it continues long after they move on. Either way, it can make a lasting difference.

Could you foster?

If you’re thinking about fostering and would like to learn more about the process, Orange Grove is here to help.

Speak to our friendly team
Find out what fostering could look like for your family
Take the first step towards making a difference in a child’s life

Call us on 0800 098 4150 or enquire online to start your fostering journey.

Want to learn more about fostering?

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Enquiry

You are required to have a spare bedroom that’s always available to a foster child. The spare room cannot be shared, and must be big enough to fit a single bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.

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To be approved as a foster carer in the UK, you must be a British citizen or have the legal right to remain in the UK without restrictions that would prevent fostering.

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The following questions are intended to help us understand your experience with children. Please note that prior experience is not required to become a foster carer, as full training will be provided.

Have you had children of your own?*

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