Foster carers Adrian and Nicci open their home to 22 children as need for families grows

Adrian and Nicci Stewart, foster carers with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust

More foster families are urgently needed across the Northern Trust area as growing numbers of children require somewhere safe and supportive to call home — whether for a single night or for several years.

For Adrian and Nicci Stewart, answering that need has meant welcoming more than 22 children through their front door in just six years.

The couple have cared for newborn babies, toddlers and teenagers as foster carers with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. Some placements have lasted only a night, while others have become a major chapter in their family life.

They currently provide long-term care for two sisters, aged eight and 13.

Now Adrian has spoken openly about the joy, responsibility and sometimes painful goodbyes that come with fostering, as the Trust appeals for more people to consider whether they could offer a child a home.

‘A job we do with all our hearts’

Speaking at a recent Northern Trust event, Adrian described fostering as “a job we do with all our hearts, 24 hours a day seven days a week, 52 weeks a year”.

One of the children Adrian and Nicci welcomed was a baby girl who came into their care when she was just three days old.

She remained with the family for almost three years before eventually returning home to live with her mother.

For the couple, saying goodbye after becoming such an important part of her early life was particularly difficult.

“That was probably one of the hardest goodbyes we had to say,” Adrian said.

“Letting a child go is hard, we never forget them and we often think of the great memories we have had with them.”

The experience illustrates one of the realities of fostering: carers can form profound relationships with children while supporting the ultimate aim, where possible and appropriate, of helping them return safely to their own families.

Helping a mother and baby stay together

Another placement saw Adrian and Nicci open their home not only to a child, but to a vulnerable mother and her baby.

Working alongside Trust staff, the couple provided a safe and nurturing environment at a crucial point in the family’s life, allowing mother and child to remain together.

Adrian described the placement as a learning curve for everyone involved. Through honesty, determination and good communication, the mother and baby were able to move into accommodation of their own after four months.

The relationship did not end there.

The mother has remained in contact with Adrian and Nicci and continues to regard them as part of her extended family.

For Adrian, experiences such as these demonstrate the lasting influence a foster family can have.

“There are many reasons children come into our care but one thing we know for sure is that it is never the child’s fault,” he said.

“These children will remember how we spoke to them and how we made them feel valued and loved as part of our family.”

‘Just one well-oiled, well-trained, motivated, loving and caring team’

Adrian also stressed that foster carers do not work alone, but form part of a wider network of social workers and other professionals responsible for supporting children in care.

“We see ourselves as part of the team,” he said.

“There should be no ‘us and them’, not this team and that team, just one well-oiled, well-trained, motivated, loving and caring team doing our best for the children.”

That team is facing increasing pressure as the number of children requiring care continues to grow.

Denise Mullan, Senior Practitioner with the Northern Trust’s Fostering North Team, said there are currently 3,514 children in care across Northern Ireland.

“There are currently 3,514 children in care in Northern Ireland and this number is continuing to increase,” she said.

“We are experiencing increasing pressures in relation to providing foster homes for children who require care outside of their families whether for a couple of nights, weeks, months or years.”

Foster homes needed across Northern Trust area

Denise has worked alongside Adrian and Nicci since they became foster carers and said she has seen first-hand what families willing to open their homes can provide.

“There are so many children living within our own communities who need the loving experience of a family,” she said.

Importantly, becoming a foster carer does not necessarily mean committing to having a child living with you permanently.

Different forms of fostering can meet different needs, and Denise encouraged people who may not have considered themselves able to foster full-time to explore what they could offer.

“Consider coming forward and caring for a child one weekend a month, it will make a real difference in a child’s life,” she said.

Children of different ages are waiting for foster families throughout the Northern Trust area, with homes needed for placements ranging from short periods of care to long-term family life.

For Adrian and Nicci, more than 22 children later, fostering has brought difficult moments and difficult goodbyes — but also the opportunity to give children stability, affection and a sense of belonging at times when they need it most.

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer can call 0800 0720 137 or visit:

https://www.adoptionandfostercare.hscni.net