“We decided to go with Capstone because everyone we spoke to was super friendly and the social media and website content was really engaging compared to others we had seen. There were a lot of positive reviews from current carers and it felt like a place we could belong, and it had a small family community feel to it.”
We have both always wanted children and discussed this when we first we first got together as a couple, and it was great that we were both on the same page about starting a family. We did look into adopting but we decided we would have a few more child free years first and enjoy time going away on holidays! Once we were ready to commit to starting our own family, we researched what would be the best option for us and decided fostering was the perfect opportunity.
We have many friends and some family members who foster so it was useful for us to talk to them and find out more about their fostering journey and how they have found it. The other key reason why we decided to foster instead of adopting was because we wanted to help as many children as possible and we knew we would have the extra support available from the fostering agency if we needed it.
When it came to researching whether we should foster through our local authority or an independent fostering agency, we chose to go with an independent fostering agency because after reading the Fostering in England report it was clear that we would get more support from an agency. After several days of researching different independent fostering agencies, we felt Capstone Foster Care was the best option for us and our family life.
We did have our own insecurities that we may not be approved, or have children placed with us because we are a gay couple, but we have never felt any prejudice from Capstone which has been great. We would love to see more same sex couples apply to become foster carers and explore this option of starting a family instead of only considering adoption, fostering is just as rewarding if not more.
Our current placement has been challenging at times but challenging in a way we expected it to be. We love having the family that we have always wanted, and we hope we get more placements because we have always wanted to have a house full of happy children.
Although we love caring for the children, we would never keep them apart from their birth families if that wasn’t in their best interest. Not all children who are placed into foster care have bad birth parents, sometimes they need that extra support in caring for their children and they know foster care can provide that for them. It is a misconception that all children in foster care are placed there because they are naughty children, this is definitely not true, and we know first-hand that all they are looking for is a loving home where they can feel safe and a part of the family.
Watch Patrick and Sebastian's fantastic video interview below:
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.
