Hastings Couple Call for More Foster Carers
As part of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from 10th-23rd May, Becky and Jon Goring are sharing their experience in the hope it will inspire others to consider fostering. There is a desperate need for more foster carers in East Sussex, and they are calling for more people in the area to offer a loving home to vulnerable children and young people through fostering.
Before deciding to become a full-time foster carer, Becky spent 25 years working with children in various roles. Starting as a teaching assistant for youngsters with additional needs at a local college, before working in a children’s home as a children’s service advisor with the local county council; her husband Jon worked in sales.
Becky and Jon Goring
The couple became approved foster carers last year during the height of the pandemic, and 13 months later they have provided a safe home for ten children and young people, including a sibling group of two brothers. Becky and Jon are also parents to two children who no longer live at home as well as their son, Toby, who they tragically lost in a motorcycle accident in 2015.
Having enjoyed her 25 years of working with children, Becky finds fostering a positive continuation of caring and supporting children. She says: “I’d always been curious about fostering. Meeting foster carers and working with foster children, I’d heard so many positive stories and witnessed so many positive outcomes and thought I wanted to be part of it. I also knew that I could support children in a much deeper way than when I was a children’s advisor and get to witness their positive development and changes.”
The most important thing for Becky and Jon is to see their foster children grow as individuals. “The way they are now is very different to the way they were when they first arrived. Avery* used to not like being hugged at all: now she is the one giving me cuddles before bed. Adam* and Ryan* are also settling in really well and have started to open up and share their emotions and experiences. With the help of our social workers and an amazing professional network of therapeutic practitioners at Five Rivers, we can support and guide our foster children to finally feel safe and cared for. And to us, this is all that matters.”
Becky said Five Rivers provided a huge amount of support during the pandemic: “They are always checking in on us, organising online training, taking our late-night calls and providing us with the tools to support our children in the best way that we can. They’ve been incredible this whole time.”
Jem Orman, fostering operations manager for East Sussex at Five Rivers Child Care, says: “Becky and Jon … have created a loving and welcoming home for vulnerable children to ensure their lives are changed for the better. Keeping sibling groups together can be challenging because foster families don’t always have enough room, so it’s fantastic that Becky and Jon are doing all that they can to ensure Adam and Ryan* stay together and continue to provide a home for other children in need like Avery.”
The number of children and young people across the UK needing foster care has risen dramatically during lockdown in the country and across East Sussex. People from all walks of life can be considered to become foster carers as long as they are over 21 years of age. This includes single people, co-habiting people, people from the LGBT+ community and those living in rented accommodation. You will need a spare room for each foster child.
*Names changed
• A role in foster care offers flexible working and a professional fee. For more information on foster care contact Five Rivers Child Care on 01722 626 271 or visit www.five-rivers.org
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