Imelda
“My name is Imelda, my husband Olly and I have been fostering with Five Rivers Fostering since April 2018. Prior to fostering I worked as an ICT instructor and managed a training centre for over 20 year delivering certified computer training courses to adults in the midlands area. During my career I also had the opportunity of teaching children and young people, and I always had a Grá for teaching children with special needs.
I branched out on a freelance basis helping children with special needs in schools, youth clubs and residential care home for some time.
In 2017 I left this role to work part time in National Learning Network, allowing time at home, to care for my sick father alongside my husband. During this time, we quickly learned about the importance of a person’s autonomy and independence and how testing this can become, especially when health crises or declines in mobility develop. We also began our training and the assessment process for fostering with Five Rivers.
My father was orphaned at the age of five and had a lot of empathy for children in care, consequently supporting and encouraging us with the decision to become foster parents. Having already reared three wonderful children; Steven, Lisa and Gary, we actually developed “empty nest syndrome”, YES, it is very real! After just a year of working closely with our link social worker we were approved for fostering. We welcomed a three year old child into our home where instant bonds formed. My father looked at this child with pride and instantly connected with him saying “every child deserves a chance”. Our children absolutely love and adore him and he is the centre of our world.
Sadly, my father passed away and not only left my husband and I prepared emotionally but also with the desire to care for this young person, the ability to work well with health care professionals, social workers, link social workers and all the other amazing people who supported us and most of all patience and empathy and the ability to work as part of a team. Our experience of fostering has always been a positive one. The help and support offered by all the staff in Five Rivers Fostering, has always been phenomenal. Not only are the children in care looked after but us as carers too.
We have had the privilege of watching a sick child grow into a gorgeous young healthy boy. The young boy eventually started in mainstream school where he is now thriving. Once he settled into school, I secured new employment with YAP Ireland working with children who are at high risk of placement in care, secure care and custody. I work part time and my husband is self-employed, allowing us the time to provide full-time care to our little boy when he is home from school.
We found a balance between work and family life which is important, subsequently I decided to enhance my qualifications and returned to college on a part-time basis. I am currently studying a BA in Community, Youth and Family Studies in Galway. Having this Degree will broadly expand my knowledge in community development, family support, adolescence, childcare, political and general socio-economic studies. I am finding the youth and family modules interesting as it allows me to transfer my theoretical knowledge into my workplace and indeed my role as a foster parent.
Foster carers play a vital role in supporting children in need. By becoming foster carers, we feel that we have made a positive difference to the child in our care far beyond what we ever expected or imagined we could do. It has been one of the most inspiring experiences we have ever taken on. A loving, stable and nurturing environment is something every child is entitled to, and we feel blessed and very privileged to be able to offer that to a child and indeed other children in years to come. Taking on the role of fostering has not hindered our lives in anyway, it has given us the confidence to move completely out of our comfort zone and try new things in life, we have learned to work smarter not harder, we still enjoy our trips away, holidays and socialising with our friends, we even threw ourselves out of a plane in Australia last year to support a charity in our local community and we are looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.”
