“It was quite emotional for us when the little boy we had staying left. For two weeks we’d had this funny little dude in our lives and then off he goes again.”
For Jo Yates, the decision to become a foster carer was one long in the making.
“From the age of about 20, I knew that I didn’t want to have my own children,” she says.
“People always told me that I’d change my mind… but I just always knew.”
It’s not that Jo didn’t love children, but rather the fact that there are already so many without stable, loving homes. And so for years, she considered adoption, but after emigrating to Australia from the UK, it became apparent just how hard realising that dream would be.
Instead, it was a story about a Sydney woman abusing the foster care system that spurred Jo and her partner Ben into action. They made the decision to become foster carers through Key Assets.
“I read an article about a lady who was fostering six children and neglecting them and taking the money, and it made me so angry,” Jo says.
“When I read that, I was like, I can do this, and it’s not about the money, it’s about ensuring those kids who really need it are getting the care they deserve.”
Top Comments
My husband and I are currently foster carers. We got approved a month ago, in that time we have had 3 respite placements for 4 nights each to help the current carers over the school holidays and currently have one for an unknown period of time. It is so much more rewarding and less of a lifestyle change than we initially thought it would be. We have been bombarded with placement requests, we only wish that all available people would foster so that society can work together to help these kids. Some are very tough, and back to back placements is draining but if there were more carers then the load would be more evenly spread.