This year’s celebratory event took place at the Lakeside Conference Centre in Sand Hutton near York. More than 40 children in care also took part with activities including a scavenger hunt, storytelling, sports and team building games and arts and crafts.
Claire and Jonathan Graham received a certificate and voucher for their five years of service. They live at East Ness, between Helmsley and Malton, and took up fostering because they wanted to give something back.
Mrs Graham,45, said: “Fostering is tiring, challenging and rewarding combined. The first children we looked after were just one and two years old. Our own children were 13 and 15 at the time and it was difficult to get the dynamics right. We’re proud to see how far the first two children we cared for have come on. We worked closely with the family and it’s lovely to see them all doing well.”
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Mr Graham,42, added: “Fostering is equally challenging and rewarding. You become aware of the strengths and weaknesses you have, as well as the strengths and weaknesses you never knew you had. You take part in extensive learning around trauma as the children have experienced trauma in their childhood.”
Given foster children can have suffered trauma, the event included workshops on dealing with this.
The conference also played tribute to Alan Tucker, Fostering North Yorkshire’s placement and fostering manager, who is retiring in June.
Mr Tucker joined North Yorkshire Council in June 2003 as a policy officer before managing the fostering service for the past 10 years.
He said: “I’ve worked hard to maximise our resources to get as many children in care a good, long-term stable home. Despite difficult financial challenges that all councils find themselves in, our service is very successful.
“I’ve been authentic to foster carers, as I have the utmost respect for them. They do a difficult job and it’s amazing to see what they achieve with the children they care for. Their commitment stops children who are at risk of harm or crime ending up with poor future prospects. Our foster carers epitomise what it is to be fundamentally human.
“Often, my role sees me having problems to solve, so it is lovely to attend the conference and see all the positives that fostering brings. Our foster carers are an amazing bunch.”
Keith and Lesley Miller from Harrogate have been foster carers for 15 years.
They said: “We’ve worked with Alan for 10 years and found him to be really approachable and he’s always found solutions to any problems we’ve had. He’s been an asset to our fostering journey.”
Many opportunities are available for foster carers. For details go to: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/fostering-north-yorkshire
