Foster mum vows to carry on for as long as she can (From Warrington Guardian)
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Foster mum vows to carry on after launch of Core Assets centre in Birchwood
9:00am Monday 22nd October 2012 in News
Karen with foster daughter June Faunch
A FOSTER mum said ‘she would not have it any other way’ after devoting her life to caring for others.
Karen Noel, from Orford, cared for the elderly before moving on to working as a support worker for Warrington social services and then became a foster carer herself.
The grandma and mum-of-five helped launch new headquarters for children’s services provider Core Assets in Birchwood, which will provide support for carers, with her foster daughter June Faunch, aged 18.
She said: “I have loved every minute of being a foster carer.
“I have always been surrounded by family and have seen what children go through when they have to be moved to different homes.
“Foster children often act up because they expect to be moved on to someone else so they need to feel like they belong to a family and get used to them.”
Karen has been looking after two children full-time for the last seven years and will soon be helping Warrington Collegiate student June move on to living independently.
She added: “I’m going to carry on looking after children for as long as I can as it’s in my nature.
“I’ve been doing it on my own as a single carer and there has been tough times but you can’t give up on them as that’s when they start getting moved from place to place.
“I’m very proud of them and to see them progress from being withdrawn and having low self-esteem to happy, confident people makes fostering worthwhile.”
She added the new facilities at Birchwood will make a big difference to carers as a place where support groups can gather and any worries or queries answered.
Mark Cartridge, north west area manager at Core Assets, said he was thrilled to launch the north west headquarters in Warrington and the organisation is ‘continually looking to recruit more foster carers in Warrington’ to meet the current shortfall of 1,200 carers in the north west.
