Mothers’ Union December 2022
November 2022 Meeting
Members of the Mothers Union gathered on 3 November in St. Wilfrid’s Church Hall. We heard a moving and engrossing talk by Caroline on her career and calling as a foster parent.
Caroline’s parents were foster parents in the 1970s so she had some experience of growing up in a home where children were fostered. Caroline had a career in education for 16 years. In 2019 she realised that she needed a change. Especially as three of her four children had by this time left home. Inspired by a Baptist Minister and supported by her Dad, Caroline and her husband David started the process of becoming foster parents through an agency. The process was lengthy and similar to that undertaken by people wishing to adopt.
After six months of assessment and training Caroline and David were accepted. They welcomed their first foster child, a young Kurdish person from Iraq who had escaped and arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry. It took three years for them to achieve the right to remain here. They are now living independently and have a job. Leaving care can be a difficult process for any foster child. But settling in a foreign country where English is a second language can be all the more challenging.
Short notice care
Often short notice is given for the placement of children so foster parents need to be ready and able to step in when needed. Often there is very little information given about the child’s background. Social workers provide support and advice for the foster parents along with a network of support from other foster carers. Both Caroline and David with the support of their family feel called to fostering. They find the experience so rewarding that they try to make sure positive recorded memories are made for the children in their care. They have fostered 12 children in three years. The youngest being a very young baby who is currently still with them.
Members were asked to join a MU prayer cycle for the 16 days of activism beginning on the 26 November against gender based violence. This is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. One in three women worldwide have experienced domestic or sexual abuse. The Mothers Union is proactive in addressing and raising awareness of this and other issues impinging on human rights in many countries.
Jacki Shorley MU Member
Awards galore for Harriet
