Chris and Glynnis
aged 52
CHRIS AND GLYNNIS are a warm and friendly couple who present as fun loving and ‘young at heart’. Their relationship is united and mutually supportive, and has developed and deepened over 34 years of marriage. Home life is focused around sports, community links and quiet evenings in.
Chris and Glynnis live in a large, three-bedroomed Victorian terraced house, with enclosed gardens, in a quiet cul-de-sac on the outskirts of a large town. Chris and Glynnis have lived there for 18 years, and the home is warm and welcoming. There is easy access to a range of excellent leisure, sporting, medical and educational facilities.
Chris and Glynnis have successfully brought up their own two birth children, who are married with children and living abroad. The couple feel that they are now in a good position to offer a permanent home to a foster child, as they have the necessary time and emotional and material resources. Chris is a school caretaker and Glynnis does not work outside the home, so they are available for children on a full-time basis. Referees comment that the couple are good at engaging with children and gaining an insight into their feelings.
Chris and Glynnis have a good support network, comprising of relatives, close friends and people from within their community. It includes current foster carers, teachers, and a neighbour who has worked with children with special needs for many years. Their support meets both practical and emotional needs.
Chris and Glynnis are practising Catholics and also take an active role in their local church community, such as involving themselves in youth groups, organising visits, and leading the music choir. They also help out with the local scouts and guides groups, and enjoy camp holidays with the children.
Chris and Glynnis both feel able to deal with most circumstances that a placement may present, and feel confident about accepting a child who displays emotional and behavioural issues. They are reflective and very engaged in learning. Chris and Glynnis present as a couple who would apply a task-centred approach, utilising agency support and always seeking to expand their own knowledge and understanding of fostering.
CHRIS has a great sense of humour and is fun to be around. He is musically talented and plays the guitar, and is interested in sports, exercise and keeping fit. Chris is also very thoughtful and reflective. He has a natural curiosity about the world and advocates lifelong learning.
GLYNNIS is calm, thoughtful, organised and focused. She is very much a home- and family-centred person, a loyal and supportive friend, and an active member of her community. Glynnis is completing a course on school chaplaincy.
Ethnic and cultural descent: white British, practising Catholic
Approval status: approved as permanent foster carers for two children of either gender, aged between 5 and 16 years
Area: north-east England
Liz Guest
St Cuthberts Care
Tel: 0191 228 0111 ext. 227.
Email: liz.guest@stcuthbertscare.org.uk.
Last updated: 17 January 08
