york fostering

People assume that one has to be in quite a specific demographic to be allowed to foster children. I took these street portraits on behalf of the City of York’s fostering service to show that people from all backgrounds can help change a child’s life. 

Georgina

Georgina fostered a child with special needs when she was just 26 years old. She told me that some people thought that she and her husband were too young to take on such a responsibility, but to Georgina, who had always wanted to foster, it felt 'just right'. Fostering has had a very positive and life-changing effect on Georgina. She loves her new life and said that before, she and her husband were just a couple with a dog and that fostering a child has made them a family. 

It was tricky taking shots inside Georgina’s house because it was quite small, so I photographed her on the school run instead (the scooter belongs to her child). She told me that she dreams of getting a larger house one day so that if ‘God forbid’ one of her parents or in-laws ever needed caring for, she will have space for them to move in with her. It was obvious to me that Georgina was a genuinely caring and generous woman. She was clearly the very best sort of person to take up fostering. When I was 26, I could barely iron a shirt, so meeting Georgina, who, at such a young age, has changed a child’s life for the better, was a humbling experience for me.

Chez and Rochelle

Chez once read an article in a magazine about fostering, which made her think that perhaps it would be something that she and her husband could do one day.

She then went on to have three birth children but still had a spare bedroom and a bit of energy left, so she decided to foster.

Her family has now increased by five, with two adoptions and three long-term foster kids. She told me that over the years, she has met some lovely people through fostering and that she still keeps in touch with the kids that have moved on.

Initially, Chez was concerned that fostering would upset her birth children. In fact, it had a very positive effect on them. So much so that Rochelle has become a full-time foster carer herself. As you can imagine, Chez is immensely proud of her daughter.

Steve

Since Steve and his wife became foster carers, they’ve become much more a part of the community. Taking their foster child to football practice and on long bike rides has introduced them to a whole new social network. “The support we’ve had from friends, family, and other foster carers has been incredible, too. This whole network builds up around you.”

I shot this small film with my stills camera. As a director, I’m used to working with a film crew, so it was fun putting the whole thing together myself.