Foster carer who has helped over 200 Hackney children talks of pride in her ‘extended family’

Foster the people: Hackney carer Hajra has looked after over 200 children

Fostering Network’s annual awareness campaign, Foster Care Fortnight, started on Monday 14th May, with a focus on how fostering can transform lives. Hackney foster carer Hajra, gave a very fitting account of her experience as a foster carer for Hackney and why she thinks others should do it to.

“It’s very rewarding; children no matter what colour, creed or sex, they need a stable environment, a lot of patience and some boundaries, routine and a safe place to call home, where they can be themselves.”

“It may seem daunting, but it’s not. Once you start it just gets easier and easier; the appointments and things eventually feel natural and normal.”

Having fostered for so long, Hajra often gets asked how many children have been placed in her care “I reckon over 200, but I’m not 100% sure, because when I first started I use to do emergency placements as well, so a lot of few days, few weeks, few months. Now I only do short term placements.”

Hajra initially decided to become a foster carer because she believed her own experiences as a teen would help her to emphasis and understand children coming into care. 20 plus years later and she explains “as well as giving, I get a lot in return; I find that fostering has changed me as a person for the better. I get immense pride looking the children placed with me and I feel like they are my own.”

“I started fostering when my children were quite young so they don’t know any different. When foster children were placed with me, they were just seen as part of the family and now that my children are grown, they are a part of my support network.” However she also considers herself lucky to have had the support of her husband, who is very active in their roles as a fostering family.

When asked what her greatest achievement as a foster carer was, Hajra knew the answer straight away. “My greatest achievement is seeing how the children I looked after have moved on; having turned their lives around and become independent, thoughtful, stable, young people; young women and young men. I feel really proud by what they’ve achieved and knowing that I’ve had some hand in helping them do that and I tell them so as well.”

Like every foster carer, Hajra confirms that support is a very important part of fostering, the support you get from your friends and family as well as the agency you foster for. “Having a supervising social worker at the end of a phone call and having regular supervision, I know that if ever I need any help I can just pick up the phone or email, this is invaluable. Also being a member of the Hackney’s Foster Carers Council is like an extended family and other foster carers know they can rely on us as well so they will ring us with any questions if they need a person to talk to and we are there to support them. We go on trips, holidays, coffee mornings, so when we meet up it just feels like an extended family.”

So why foster for Hackney? “I have lived in Hackney for the past 40 years and I feel a sense of loyalty to my borough and the children. Fostering for Hackney has meant that school runs have been in the borough, meetings take place here and I don’t have to travel far for training either. But more importantly I love Hackney; I love the people I’m in contact with: the social workers, other foster carers and the teams around us.

For more information about fostering with Hackney call Freephone 0800 0730 418 or visit www.hackney.gov.uk/fostering