Jordan’s Story: Finding a Home and Inspiring Others to Foster

Given that it’s Foster Fortnight, Jordan, who recently left Adra, wanted to share his story as a child in foster care with the rest of you to hopefully inspire others to foster.

The Journey Through Foster Care

My whole life was spent in care, and that journey has shaped the person I am today. As a child, moving between foster families was difficult and filled with fear. I longed for a stable place to call a real home. Children deserve to feel safe and know where they belong.

Despite all the change and uncertainty, I was fortunate. I met some very special foster carers who opened their home and their hearts to me. These kind people gave me not just a roof over my head, but also the confidence to believe that I could achieve good things in my life.

Through their help and patience, I learned that the difficult things that happened to us in the past don’t have to decide what our future will be like. Like every child, I wasn’t perfect; I had good days and bad days. Sometimes I was sad, sometimes angry, and sometimes scared.

The Reality of Foster Family Life

Living with a foster family could be challenging for everyone – both for the carers and for the children. What all of us needed was love, patience, and understanding. I learned that finding stability takes time and requires effort from everyone involved. The people around us help us grow stronger, and every positive experience helps to heal past hurts.

Without the support I received from my foster carers, I would never have gone on to college or secured the good job I have now. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. They saw me not as a ‘child in care’ but as a young person with a bright future ahead.

Even though I now live independently, that home is still a special place for me – the place I return to for Sunday dinner, where I feel warmth and welcome every time. This demonstrates the powerful, lasting impact a stable, caring home can have.

Using My Experience to Help Others

Today, as an adult, I am proud to be part of the Fostering Panel and to work with Maethu Cymru. My experiences as a child help me truly understand what children in care need. I can share my perspective to help ensure that children in care today receive the best possible support.

I know how it feels when you arrive at a new home with your small bag of belongings, hoping that this family will be good and one where you can stay. This is why sharing my story, especially during Fostering Fortnight in May, is so important. I want to help raise awareness and inspire others.

I’m talking about my experiences not to gain sympathy, but to show the profound difference that good foster carers can make. Foster carers can be bright stars in a dark life, giving hope and love to children who have experienced too much pain.

The Importance of Community Support

Raising a child is teamwork, and every contribution, whether small or large, makes a real difference. We need to work together to ensure every child gets the best start in life.

It’s significant that Adra is now an employer that supports fostering. This demonstrates how much we value foster carers and encourages others to consider the meaningful difference they can make to a child’s life. I strongly believe that more workplaces should support employees and tenants who want to foster. Companies and organisations need to recognise the importance of providing loving homes to children in need. With flexible and supportive employers, more people will be able to offer a home to a child who needs one.

The Rewarding Impact

I want to emphasise that being in care is not a barrier to success. Soon, I will start a new job in the digital field at M-SParc – an opportunity I never would have imagined as a child. This demonstrates what can happen when you receive the right support at the right time. Everyone deserves the chance to succeed, and good foster carers open doors to a better future.

This is the true reward of fostering: the ability to help a young person overcome challenges, find stability, and create opportunities for a brighter future.