Jo

Five years ago, I was at a junction in my life; my mother had passed away after I cared for her, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I then heard an advert for fostering on the radio; I decided to get in touch, and I've never looked back!

I offer emergency foster care and respite breaks. Respite care means I'm used to a lot of children coming in and out of my house and I love it.

I’m also part of the Oasis Network for Essex County Council which is an ‘extended family model’ of support for foster carer s an Oasis hub carer, I offer peer support, advice, mentoring and respite breaks, ‘sleepovers’, to other foster carers.

I have built relationships with many foster carers and their foster children and generally, those children are the ones that come to me for respite. Each child or children comes to me every six weeks for a night or two. They say they’re coming to Auntie Jo’s for a sleepover which I love. We really are a big extended family, not only for us but for the children too and it works so well.

Read more about Jo's journey here.