children of foster carers week 2026: “I can’t imagine life without him now"
During Children of Foster Carers Week (12th-18th October), we celebrated the children and young people whose families foster, and recognised the important part they play in making a home feel like home.
When parents decide to foster, their children are part of that journey too. They share their home, their parents’ attention and many of the everyday moments that gradually turn people who were once strangers into family.
We asked the birth children in our fostering families what that experience has really been like.
from foster sibling to brother
For one young person, having another child join the family brought companionship and a livelier home:
“It’s good having another sibling and someone else to talk to. It’s more fun on holidays and makes home life more lively.”
There have been some unexpected advantages too:
“The attention of my parents is more spread out so they aren’t always just nagging me!”
What stands out most is how naturally that new relationship developed.
“It wasn’t hard to settle into it. It didn’t take long until my foster sibling felt like my brother.”
Like many sibling relationships, theirs has changed as they have grown up. When they were younger, they played together more. As one moved on to secondary school, that changed for a while. Now they are both at secondary school, they have found new common ground, including playing online together and having more shared experiences.
making space for everyone
Welcoming another child into the family does not mean children have to give up all their own space.
One thing that helped a family was a clear rule about bedrooms. The children didn't go into each other’s rooms, so both knew they had somewhere private that would be respected.
The young people also noticed that fostering sometimes brings different boundaries. Although their parents treated the children equally, there could be different rules around age-rated films and video games, for example, because foster carers have responsibilities that may be different from the decisions they make for their birth children.
Understanding those differences is part of life in a fostering family.
being honest about the challenges
Another young person remembers being curious about who would come to live with them. They had hoped for a little sister, only to have two boys join the family instead.
That disappointment didn't last.
“I quickly grew fond of them both.”
They are also honest that the beginning wasn't always straightforward. A child arriving in an unfamiliar home may be frightened and unsure of what to expect. Everyday things such as different foods or new household rules can take time to get used to.
They remember seeing how much patience their mum needed as she worked out when to be firm and when a child needed greater understanding.
Over time, however, things changed. The children became more comfortable with new experiences and the routines of the household, and family life began to settle.
“that’s how we all see each other”
Sometimes language can make a difference to how a family sees itself.
“It probably helped that my parents immediately referred to our two foster children as our brothers, so we all just started doing the same and now that’s how we all see each other.”
Perhaps the most powerful reflection is also the simplest:
“I can’t imagine life without M now. He’s just part of the family.”
Children of foster carers experience fostering in their own way. Their lives change too, and their perspective deserves to be heard.
Children of Foster Carers Week is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate those children and young people, and the everyday part they play in fostering families.
Thank you to the young people who shared their experiences so openly with us.
