Patricia and John
aged 37 and 36
PATRICIA & JOHN are caring, welcoming people with a sense of humour and a lot of common sense. Their sons, Michael, 12, Nathan, nine, and Sean, seven, are lively, welcoming, inquisitive boys, who are eager to share their home with a child.
The family live in a large four-bedroomed house in a quiet residential area in Greater Manchester, in its south-western outskirts. There are good local amenities, including a park, library, shops, swimming baths, primary and secondary schools. The town has good rail and bus links, and is a five-minute drive from the motorway network. Patricia, known as Tricia, and John are car owners, and available to assist in transportation to and from school, within reasonable distance from the family home. The couple will also try to facilitate transporting a child who is having contact with birth family members.
While John runs his own business as a self-employed plumber, Tricia trained and worked as a nurse before she became a mother, and is currently a full-time homemaker. The couple have been approved foster carers since October 2006. Tricia and John so far have training experience in suicide and self-harm, fire training, medication training, record keeping, HIV/AIDS awareness, first aid, promoting healthy eating, parenting a child who has been sexually abused, drugs, alcohol and substance abuse, and basic food hygiene. Tricia’s medical background in nursing is also an asset in dealing with, and understanding, any medical issues that a child may have.
Since becoming approved, Tricia and John have provided two foster placements. They cared for J, not his real name, an 11-year-old boy, from March 2007 to June 2008. J experienced neglect, emotional and physical abuse in early life, and was subject to a Child Protection Plan. As a result of his experiences, he had difficulties in expressing himself and displaying his feelings. Tricia and John helped him work through this by affirming that it was perfectly healthy and acceptable to feel angry or sad at times. During this period, J received news that his grandfather, who had been his role model from early childhood, had died. He struggled to come to terms with his loss, but Tricia and John were able to help him work through this difficult time by emphasising that the family were there to support him. Initially, there were a few altercations between J and the couple’s sons, while they adjusted to living together, and J absconded within the first week of placement, but the placement soon stabilised with lots of one-to-one attention. Tricia and John also managed to deal with J’s difficulties around bedwetting and soiling in a sensitive manner. They successfully advocated for him to receive treatment from a specialist clinic and the problem eventually went away altogether. Tricia and John developed good working relationships, by working in partnership, with both J’s social worker and his school. As a result, J progressed well in his education and there were marked improvements in his reading and writing skills, which boosted his self-esteem and confidence. The placement came to a gradual end, in a planned and positive way, when J’s local authority identified and approved a birth family member to care for him on a long-term basis.
Tricia and John have also provided short break care for A, not his real name, a seven-year-old boy, who needed close supervision and lots of one-to-one attention. A particularly enjoyed participating in the weekend football training that the family regularly attends, and was awarded a trophy for his efforts and determination.
Tricia and John have excellent parenting skills and would provide a nurturing, understanding and positive environment for any child. They are dedicated to meeting the needs of a child in care by working around the individual care plan, and they appreciate the need to promote contact with birth family members where appropriate.
Tricia, John and their children are an active family who enjoy participating in various sports, such as football, swimming and trampolining. They also enjoy camping and caravanning holidays in various locations throughout the UK and in France. While J lived with them, the family included him in all of their holiday plans, believing that it is unfair to exclude a child in their care from family holidays and celebrations. Any child placed with Tricia and John would benefit from a solid, stable, fun family lifestyle, where every effort would be made to include them in family life.
Ethnic and cultural descent: white British
Approval status: approved as permanent foster carers for two children, three if a sibling group, aged up to ten years, of either gender
Area: north-west England
For more information about this family, please email us and we will forward on your details to their social worker.
Last updated: 03 December 08
