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Claire and Aaron's Story

Clair and Aaron are both in their early 20’s and have been Foster Carers for nearly two years.

Clair was 11 when her parents decided to open their home and become Foster Carers. Clair recalls how her parents discussed the idea with her and her siblings and they decided as a family how much they would like to do it.

“I love being from a fostering family. I was excited having new children come into our family; it was great being able to share our hobbies and play with other children. From day one, we just classed the children as our family and I’ve always felt like they were my own brothers and sisters. As we got older I started to help my mum more and more, we all had a role. I loved caring for the babies and my sister always enjoyed the toddlers, she was fantastic playing with them. It’s just always been so lovely for us to have children in our home that we could fuss over.”

Clair always wanted to follow in her parents footsteps and whilst on honeymoon she and her husband Aaron decided the time was right for them to take the next step. Aaron said ‘I didn’t know what fostering was until I met Clair, I knew people looked after kids but I didn’t realise how much Foster Carers did to make children’s lives better. The day it changed for me was when I saw Clair upset because a baby had left their home. I could see how much she deeply cared for the children and it really changed my mind about what being a Foster Carer was all about.”

It’s clear to see how much the couple love their role, and in the two years they have been Foster Carers have already made such a difference to children’s lives from preparing younger children for adoption to caring for teenagers. Aaron said “We love what we’re doing; making memories and watching a child develop and grow is the best feeling”.

Along with the first hand experience Clair’s parents have given the couple they also have the full support of Aarons family, Clair said “It’s so good to have our families to go to for help and advice. We also have a great relationship with our Social Worker and the other Foster Carers in Knowsley have given us a lot of encouragement and guidance too. We’re still learning on the job, but we are caring for the children in the same way we were brought up by our own parents and are just being ourselves. Being Foster Carers is special we are really proud of what we do, it was definitely the best decision that we’ve made”.