‘Buddy fostering showed us we could do this – emotionally as well as practically’

Charlotte Shepherd joined Worcestershire Fostering as a buddy foster carer after discovering a way to care for children that fitted around a full-time job and worked for her whole family.

As a buddy foster carer, Charlotte provides regular, planned short breaks for children who already live with foster families. Buddy carers build ongoing relationships with a child and their foster family, offering familiar stays during weekends and school holidays.

Charlotte said she had wanted to foster for many years, but believed it wasn’t realistic while working full time and being the main earner in her household.

“I’ve always had fostering on my heart, but giving up work completely just wasn’t an option for us,” she said. “It wasn’t only about the financial risk – it was also about whether we could manage it emotionally as a family. You want to be sure you can give children what they need, and that it works for everyone involved.”

It wasn’t until 2024, when she learned about Worcestershire Fostering’s buddy foster carer scheme, that she realised there was a way to take that step in a manageable, sustainable way.

“Buddy fostering felt like a really gentle introduction,” Charlotte explained. “It was a great way to learn more about us, about fostering, how we would all cope with it – risk free. It felt like if you 
decide it’s not right for you, you can stop – with the least risk to the hearts of the children and to all involved.”

Since becoming a buddy foster carer, Charlotte and her family have welcomed children of different ages into their home for regular short stays, often returning to the same children multiple times. Charlotte has three children of her own at home and says she loves welcoming more, as all the children enjoy playing together: “It’s so easy to absorb extras into your home,” she said. “It’s a bit like, one child can be hard work, two is easier and three – well, they sort of all entertain and look after each other! The house just feels fuller and more alive.”

Charlotte has found buddy fostering has helped to break down some of the common misconceptions around fostering – both about carers and about children in care.

“Once I met foster carers in my community, I realised they were just regular people with jobs like mine,” she said. “And the children are just children. Yes, you can see they have had troubled lives, but they absorbed into our lives more naturally than people expect.”

Councillor Justin Bowen, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families said: “Buddy fostering was what first led me to become an approved foster carer. It plays a crucial role in supporting both children and full-time foster carers by providing planned, familiar care that for a child feels more like a sleepover or short holiday.

“Through buddy fostering, children build lasting relationships, so when they go to stay it feels reassuring and familiar. They are with people they know and trust, and that stability makes a real difference.”

Charlotte hopes her experience will encourage others who think fostering isn’t possible to look again: “So many people rule themselves out because they think fostering has to be full time, or they’re not sure how they’ll cope emotionally,” she said. “Buddy fostering shows there’s another way – one that fits around work, family life and real people, while still making a meaningful difference to children.”

Find out more about buddy fostering on the Buddy Fostering pages of our website.