If you have ever considered helping others then fostering is the way to do it

Rewards and benefits of foster care outweigh the challenges for Lyn and Roy

A desire to help vulnerable children and young people provided the spark of inspiration for Lyn to become a foster carer.

Thirteen years on, the joy she experiences from observing the progress and development of those young people fuels her motivation and commitment to caring for others.

The 65-year-old, together with her husband Roy, has fostered 20 children during this time, offering reunification care along with some long-term and respite placements.

For the past decade she has been involved with Centacare’s foster care program.

Lyn says foster caring fulfils her “desire to give back to the community, particularly to assist those who are most vulnerable”.

“Fostering a child, any child, has rewards,” she says.

“You learn to appreciate the small amount of progress, all those little things that give you a ‘wow’ feeling.

“Being able to provide them with encouragement to be at the same level with their peers is very rewarding.”

Lyn has shared her story as part of an #FosterCareSA social media campaign to bring greater awareness to the need for more foster carers in South Australia.

She urged people interested in becoming a foster carer to speak to others with experience.

“Fostering a child has its challenges,” Lyn says.

“It is often very demanding … and it teaches patience.”

But the rewards and benefits of foster caring far outweigh the challenges, she says.

“If you have ever considered helping others or thought about reaching out to give back to those in need and the community, then fostering is the way to do it,” Lyn says.

To help us raise awareness about foster care, please share these stories on social media with the hashtag #FosterCareSA

Anyone interested in finding out more about foster care should visit www.fostercare.sa.gov.au or call 1300 2 FOSTER (367 837).