Sandra, 62, has been doing excellent work as a foster mum with Fostering People for the last 18 years. Based in Nottingham, she has fostered teenagers, young children, and has even hosted families for parent and child fostering. Reflecting on her journey to fostering, she said,

“Caring for others has always been part of my family life, whether that be watching my mum help out families in our community or my role as a support worker for kids at my local college. Even now my family have such a huge role to play in supporting me with fostering, and are always there for me and the children.”

Sandra’s family are her foundation of support, and always work hard to make every child in her care feel like part of the family. This is especially important when welcoming children into your home who have a different cultural background, and sometimes cross-cultural placements can come with challenges. Sandra said,

“I’ve looked after children who had never been into a household with black people before, and some children have arrived believing that we shouldn’t be together because we don’t look the same.”

“I had one little girl tell me that her parents had taught her that black people and white people weren’t supposed to be together. It took time to heal those beliefs, but when she saw how my family come from a range of different nationalities and all love one another and embrace our different cultures, she began to understand.”

Sandra believes that acknowledging a child’s cultural background is essential to helping them develop their sense of identity and belonging. She said,

“Culture and race is a really important conversation, and I’m always eager to learn more about a child’s background. I’ve had some great moments with the young person I’m looking after at the moment, where we’ve sat down together and he’s taught me so much. I celebrate his culture, and he celebrates mine. A young person’s culture is their identity, so it’s so important to take the time to get to know that aspect of them and celebrate it.”

Sandra has found that one of the best ways of doing this is through food. She said:

“Food really has the power to bring people together and was always hugely important in my family growing up. I find cooking is an amazing way to bond with my foster children, whether that’s cooking Jamaican food for them or learning new recipes from their own culture. We’ll give any recipe a go in our house, and I’ll often take children shopping with me to pick out their favourite foods or new meals they want to try making. Cooking together makes for a really lovely bonding experience.”

Whether it be cooking their favourite meals or supporting children during religious celebrations, Sandra highlights the importance of really taking the time to understand a child’s cultural needs. She said,

“I often see white foster parents doing a great job with black children and vice versa. I think it’s really important that all foster parents take their training about cultural awareness seriously so they can provide the best care for children.”

“For example, many foster parents caring for black children might not know at first how to care for black skin, or that we need different hair products and styling techniques. I believe that foster parents would benefit from more training, and if foster parents get the opportunity they should talk to an adult who shares the child’s background.”

Sandra encourages more people to consider fostering, highlighting in particular the need for more foster parents from the black community. She said,

“Ultimately we need more foster parents from all backgrounds to provide homes to children and young people. If fostering is something that you’re passionate about, go for it!  If you can, I’d really recommend that you talk to a current or former foster parent to really get an idea of what it’s like.”

“I stay in touch with a lot of the kids I’ve taken care of over the years, and it’s so wonderful to see them grow up and start their own families. Fostering is hard work, but if you put that work in, you can make a big difference in a child's life.”