Ruth and Peter's story
I saw people who were foster carers when I was growing up and it had a big impact on me, so much so, that we made the decision twenty five years ago to become foster carers.
We were living in Rockhampton at the time, Peter and I. We were in our twenties, before we had children of our own.
We had a home and thought we could make a difference for children in need. We went through and did the training and the next thing we knew we were foster parents.
Since then we’ve lived in Melbourne, China and for the last eleven years, fostering in Brisbane. At the moment we’re looking after a little one, a nine month old baby. Over the years we’ve probably cared for over a hundred children and raised our own kids too.
We've always loved children. It brings us a lot of joy being able to feel the love in our home.
These days you hear so much about the negative aspects of foster care, like that it can be hard. But we've had a very positive experience fostering children.
Some kids bring a lot of baggage with them and you have to work through that.
I think it's about seeing the difference you can make in a kids' life. If people have a nurturing environment in their home it brings so many benefits to the child.
The aim is always for the children to return to their biological parents, and being a foster carer helps give the child a safe and secure home in the meantime.
There are so many kids out there that need help. Our advice is to be tolerant. Be prepared that some of these children are coming to you with issues, so you're not going to be able to change them overnight.
*To protect the identities of the children and carers in these stories, names and images have been changed.
"You need to have a compassionate heart and the preparedness to have a go."
Discover other stories
Would you make a good carer?
