North Yorkshire foster couple share their story to promote their profession

Tanya and David Umpleby, from Killinghall, have been fostering for around four years. They currently care for one 13-year-old on a long-term basis and two respite children, aged ten and 11, from separate foster homes.

Tanya, 44, said: "We went to an open day at a coffee shop in Scarborough as they were never held on our day off locally.

"The benefits are seeing the difference, love and security can make to a child. Seeing their happy faces. Making memories. Doing things outside our comfort zone. Meeting new people and seeing children grow in all ways.

"The biggest challenge, however, is the unannounced social worker visits when your house is a mess!

"If I was to offer advice to anyone considering becoming a foster carer, I'd say if you go into it for the right reasons, to make a difference to at least one child's life, then you will achieve what you set out to do. You can't help every child but one is enough.

She added: "Giving them love, safety and security for them to build their own life and hopefully a happy family themselves will help the children in the long run. We are privileged to be able to do what others can't or don't do, and that makes a difference."

Tanya and David shared their story as part of Foster Care Fortnight which took place recently. The event, from The Fostering Network, is an annual promotion of fostering, and a great opportunity to celebrate some of the work done by carers across the country, as well as by our family of foster carers in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council’s head of placement support, children and families, Judith Russ, said: “Tanya and Dave have shared their fostering story with the hope that it will encourage other local families to come forward and find out more about fostering and how they could make a real and lasting difference to a young person’s life. I think both the challenges of fostering as well as the enormous emotional rewards come across in this moving story.

“We need to recruit more foster carers in the Harrogate district - as well as in other parts of the county. There are different types of fostering to suit your own work and family commitments and we welcome people from all walks of life to join our amazing team of carers.”

For more information, go to: www.northyorks.gov.uk/fostering