“My name is Mike and I am a care leaver from Dorset. Throughout my childhood, I was considered to be ‘in-care’. This meant that I was under the protection of the council. Unlike most children who were in care,3 I lived with my dad. Living with one parent is tough, as you lack the adult guidance you could get with two. Growing up, the council would help my family to ensure that I didn’t suffer.
Once every couple of months, they would arrange visits for me to see my mum to ensure that this relationship wasn’t forgotten and that I still had a mother figure in my life – albeit not as prominent as one would like – but this was still a great help to my family.
These visits would originally involve us driving to a specially designed council building. However as I started to grow up, I started to realise that this didn’t feel genuine and I expressed my concerns; having to meet your own mother in a pre-set room in an old council office felt odd. We discussed the meetings with the council and it was agreed that we should get more freedom when meeting. This meant that we could then meet with our mum in any location we wanted (within reason of course!). This led to multiple visits to the Sealife Centre, The Dolphin Centre in Poole and many other locations. These visits finally felt real. It was like I was a normal child living a normal life out with their mum on a weekend trip.
The council has helped my family in several other ways too. With my family situation being awkward, my Dad could not fit in a full-time job. This subsequently meant his income was low. To help with this, the council offered to pay for the sporting activities that I wished to take part in. When I was younger, I loved playing tennis. I joined the St Leonard’s Tennis club and had tons of fun. This would have been a lot harder to achieve without the councils’ aid. The council also helped with funding for my sister’s horse riding lessons.
I am very thankful for the council’s assistance to myself and my family growing up, however once I turned 18 I decided to become a care leaver. I wanted a little more freedom and independence.”
To find out more about fostering or providing supported lodgings for young people in Dorset, please contact the Fostering team on 01305 225568 or email: fosteringenquiries@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.
Further information can also be found at: www.fosterindorset.com
