Donna and Ade Smith
Foster carers Donna and Ade Smith have formed such strong bonds with children that have been in their care that they stay in touch and even have a holiday booked with one young child and her new adoptive family.
The Newcastle-under-Lyme couple decided to become foster carers in 2020 after their daughter, who they say is their biggest supporter, left home.
“We still had the room at home and we still had so much love to give,” said Donna, who previously worked as an accountant for 36 years. “Our daughter is a teacher and lives very close so she provides a lot of support. It’s the toughest job I’ve ever done, tougher than being an accountant.”
The couple have provided a home to three children over the past six years, aged two, three and four years, supporting each of them with the transition into a new long-term home.
They have been nominated in the Carer of the year category of the Your Heroes Awards by Marie Plant, Fostering Recruitment and Engagement Officer at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Marie said: “One of Donna and Adrian’s key strengths is supporting children through positive transitions. They understand the importance of helping children move on to the next stage of their journey with confidence, whether that is returning home, moving to a long-term placement or achieving greater independence.
“Their commitment to the children they care for extends beyond the time they spend living with them. Donna and Adrian have maintained contact with children who have moved on from their care, offering continued encouragement and support where appropriate.
“These lasting relationships reflect the genuine care, stability and positive impact they have had on the lives of the children they have fostered.
“Through their dedication, compassion and ability to build trusting relationships Donna and Adrian have made a significant difference to the children and young people they have welcomed into their home.”
Donna said: “I just think it’s really important to stay in their lives.”
Her advice for anyone considering becoming a foster carer is to begin by offering respite care as this can help a person find out quickly whether fostering is the right role for them.
“I’d advise people to test the water for six months as a respite carer and not to go straight into a long or even short-term placement. It’s a very tough job and it’s not for everybody.”
She added: “It’s nice to have been recognised with a Your Heroes Awards nomination. Recognition and a thank you goes a long way.”
Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Kennedy from Stoke-on-Trent helped to save the life of a toddler who was pulled from a hotel swimming pool and had stopped breathing.
The mum and grandmother-of-three stepped in to help while on holiday in Tunisia last week, positioning the child’s head to help clear the airway of water then guiding a lifeguard through chest compressions and rescue breaths.
Without her quick thinking the boy may have lost his life. She has since been thanked by his family.
Remarkably Sarah’s lifesaving actions came just a day after she helped another holidaymaker who was suffering from an epileptic seizure, putting her into the recovery position and staying with her until the seizure had passed.
Sarah has been a foster carer with Stoke-on-Trent City Council for four and a half years and says she used the first aid skills she was taught during her fostering training.
Sarah said: “Me and my friend were about to start water aerobics when we saw a little one being pulled out of the water. The lifeguard didn’t know how to do CPR but I did. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. I honestly thought the child had drowned.
“I didn’t know what had happened after they went in the ambulance. I couldn’t sleep that night. I just kept seeing the child’s face. I thought he had gone.
“It was two or three days later when I saw the family again. They didn’t speak English but one family member just kept saying thank you.”
Sarah credits the first aid training she received through Stoke-on-Trent City Council for the skills she was able to call on.
She added: “I’d like to say that anybody would have done it but my friend just froze. I couldn’t have just sat down and not done anything.”
Sarah has now been nominated in the Carer of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards by Marie Plant, Fostering Recruitment and Engagement Officer at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Marie said: “Drawing on the training, calmness and determination she has developed as a foster carer, Sarah immediately stepped in. She positioned the child’s head correctly to help clear the airway of water and she calmly guided others through the CPR process, explaining chest compressions and rescue breaths to the lifeguard.
“Despite fearing that the child may not survive, Sarah refused to give up and continued her efforts. Thanks to her quick thinking, knowledge and perseverance the little boy began breathing again before being rushed to hospital by ambulance. Her actions undoubtedly gave this child a chance at life.
“Sarah has also assisted a woman who was experiencing an epileptic seizure. She calmly ensured the woman’s safety, placed her in the recovery position, reassured those around her and stayed with her until she recovered from the fit.
“These incidents demonstrate Sarah’s exceptional ability to remain calm under immense pressure, put her training into practice and act selflessly to help others.
“While these experiences have understandably had an emotional impact on her they also highlight the incredible value of the skills, compassion and resilience she brings to her role as a foster carer.
“Sarah is a true hero. Her actions have made a life-changing difference to others and she is thoroughly deserving of recognition for her bravery, dedication and commitment to keeping vulnerable people safe. Quite simply, Sarah saved a child’s life and I could not be prouder to nominate her.”
Sarah has fostered more than 10 babies and young children since becoming a foster carer in January 2022 and says she would encourage others to consider it even if they only have a couple of nights per week to offer respite care.
The Bostock Family
A Stoke-on-Trent family have welcomed more than 40 foster children into their home over the past 14 years, including a one-day-old baby.
Fostering has become such an everyday part of their life that Nick and Katy Bostock’s 19-year-old daughter is aiming to become a foster carer for teenagers after she graduates from university.
Nick and Katy have been fostering through Stoke-on-Trent City Council since 2012 and have fostered up to five children at any one time, even moving house to be able to foster more.
Their own two children, now aged 17 and 19, were aged just two and four when the family’s fostering journey began.
The family have been nominated in the Carer of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards by Marie Plant from the Fostering Team at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
She said: “Katy and Nick provide a loving and nurturing home for three young children, two of whom are the same age and share very similar personalities. They have shown exceptional dedication and emotional resilience while supporting the older children through complex and often uncertain care plans.
“Katy and Nick always respond with compassion and professionalism, immediately opening their home again without hesitation.
“The breakdown of placements can be an incredibly distressing and confusing experience for children, yet Katy and Nick have worked tirelessly to provide reassurance, stability and emotional safety during these transitions. They have been deeply attuned to the children’s emotional needs, offering consistent care, comfort and understanding to help them process disappointment, loss and change.
“Their ability to prioritise the children’s wellbeing above all else has allowed the children to re settle and feel secure, supported and valued during what could otherwise have been a very unsettling time.
“Central to this nurturing environment are Katy and Nick’s daughters, Daisy and Poppy, who play a vital and meaningful role in the family’s fostering journey. Daisy and Poppy have shown remarkable kindness, patience and maturity, actively supporting the three children in their care and helping them feel welcomed, included and safe. Their willingness to share their parents, their home and their everyday family life has been instrumental in helping the children rebuild trust and form positive relationships.
“Together Katy and Nick with the invaluable support of Daisy and Poppy have created a warm, resilient and emotionally supportive family environment. Their approach reflects a deep commitment to meeting children where they are, especially during times of loss and uncertainty.
“Their compassion, strength and child centred values truly exemplify the very best of fostering and the positive impact they continue to have on the lives of the children in their care cannot be overstated.”
Katy said: “Being part of a fostering family has given Poppy and Daisy stepping stones. One is thriving at University and aspires to foster teenagers and the other wants to train to become a paramedic.
“If anyone reading this is considering becoming a foster carer I’ve advise them to look at Facebook or Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s website. Fostering is something I’ve never regretted it.”
Kids of Carers
Saying goodbye to temporary brothers and sisters who have shared your home and shared your parents is a reality for the children of foster carers.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Fostering Team has set up a group for the children of foster families to meet and support one another.
Members of Kids of Carers meet up several times a year to talk about the highs and lows of living in a fostering family and to enjoy activities such as trips to theme parks and bowling.
Marie Plant, Fostering Recruitment Officer at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “My nomination is for the kids of foster carers, they do a fantastic job and they very often go unrecognised.
“They support their parents to foster other children, often with higher needs of their own.
“Not only do they support with other children living in their home but also sharing the time of their parents and wider families. Which is a selfless act of kindness and should be recognised.”
Marie has nominated the members of Kids of Carers for a Carer of the Year Award in the Your Heroes Awards.
She added: “I cannot express the pride and love I have for all foster carers’ birth children.”
Paul and Fiona Lockett
Fostering has become a way of life for Paul and Fiona Lockett, who have opened their home to more than 30 youngsters over the past 16 years.
The couple, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, first started fostering through Stoke-on-Trent City Council 16 years ago when their own children were aged just five and seven.
Fiona, aged 55, said: “We both had really good childhoods. We didn’t come from wealthy backgrounds but we knew we were loved and we wanted to be able to pass that on to some children who perhaps weren’t so lucky.”
They have fostered babies and children of all ages over the years, who have stayed with them for anything from days to years.
“We absolutely love it. It’s a privilege to do this job,” said Fiona. “It’s become a way of life for us. It has its high and low points but I would never consider walking away from it. I can’t imagine ever stopping.”
Fiona and Paul, aged 57, have been nominated as Carers of the Year in the Your Heroes Awards by Marie Plant from the fostering team at the city council.
Marie said: “Their extensive experience has enabled them to develop a deep understanding of the complex needs of children who have experienced adversity, loss and uncertainty.
“They are known for their patient, nurturing and compassionate approach, taking the time to understand each child as an individual and responding to their needs with kindness and empathy.
“Fiona and Paul recognise the importance of building trusting relationships and creating a stable, secure environment where children feel safe, valued and cared for.
“Through their calm and consistent care they help children develop confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging. Their ability to provide understanding and reassurance, particularly during times of transition and challenge, has enabled many children to settle successfully and make positive progress.
“Fiona and Paul’s commitment to fostering has had a lasting impact on the lives of the many children they have welcomed into their home, providing them with the stability, support and the opportunities they need to thrive.”
Fiona added: “Fostering is like a family community. It’s such a rewarding job and I can’t recommend it enough to anybody. You can make such a difference to a child’s life.”
Arlene and Phil Lambourne
When Arlene and Phil Lambourne took in a nine-year-old girl for a few days they had no idea she would still be living with them five years later and that they would have trained to become foster carers.
Arlene, 63, has even given up her job as a nurse to help meet the needs of their foster daughter, who is now aged 15.
The Stoke-on-Trent couple were classed as kinship foster carers, because they were known to the girl’s previous carer. This meant they were able to provide her a home at the same time as completing the lengthy process to become official foster carers.
Arlene is now also a buddy, supporting other people who are in the process of becoming foster carers through Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Arlene and Phil, aged 55, have been nominated in the Carer of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards by Marie Plant, Fostering Recruitment and Engagement Officer at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
She said: “Arlene and Philip have built a strong and trusting relationship with the child in their care. They have helped her to feel valued, understood and genuinely believed in. Their unwavering confidence in her abilities and potential has empowered her to believe in herself and begin to hold ambitious hopes and aspirations for her future.
“They have advocated for her needs and offered new and meaningful opportunities. Arlene and Phil have supported her to feel fully included and part of the family, fostering a true sense of belonging, safety and emotional security.
“Alongside this, Arlene has offered support to other carers, both those at the beginning of the fostering journey and those facing challenges. Her willingness to share her experiences and offer encouragement and understanding has been invaluable to others.”
Arlene said: “It was the child who asked if she could come and live with us. Her placement was breaking down and we were part of her former foster carer’s support team. She came to us for a few days and it became apparent that her old foster carer wasn’t able to continue in that role.
“She was with us for two days then asked if she could come to live with us. It didn’t take much for us to agree to that.”
The couple already had their own daughter who is 10 years older than their foster daughter and the two have become as close as sisters.
Arlene said: “At times at the beginning it wasn’t easy. It could be challenging on occasions. She’s part of the family now and she’s just lovely.”
She added: “If anyone reading this article is interested in becoming a foster carer my advice is to look into it properly. It’s a difficult process but it’s very worth it.”