James Browning: I’m James Browning I've been fostering for three and a bit years and currently I'm a step across to foster carer.
So step across is working with young people who have been in residential care and moving them back into a family foster carer situation.
That's kind of a more supportive environment for them and able to deal with their more complex needs.
Interviewer: In your experience, why are children in residential care?
James Browning: In residential often is because their needs have been harder to manage in the past and other foster carers and finding suitable placements has been difficult.
And then from that, being in residential care for some young people gives extra challenges erm that then makes their needs more complex again.
Interviewer: How does your work as a step across foster carer help?
James Browning: The things with complex young people is that you won't see the impact straight away.
It takes time and actually that perseverance and that showing them that you're there for them and being resilient and giving them the space to work through those challenges with the kind of support around them, but not challenging them too hard about their thoughts and feelings in the wrong way and give them that chance to grow.
Once you've got through it, you kind of look back and go, yeah, they are, they're better off now.
Interviewer: What support do you get with step across fostering?
James Browning: The support as a step across carer is much more intense.
You get a lot more support around you.
There's a network which is run by the sense of belonging team, which brings in a group of professionals together to meet with you regularly to make sure what's being delivered is right and adjusting things and making sure the support's there.
You get additional respite which is really important for your own wellbeing and the young person's well being as well.
To make sure you've got the resilience to be able to deal with those complex behaviours.
And the step across also has extra support groups where you meet with other step across carers who are in similar positions and have the same challenges.
You know, just a good sounding board and a good just get things off your chest kind of place.
Interviewer: Why did you decide that you wanted to be a foster carer?
James Browning: I think it comes from my background and my, the work I've done to date.
Working with young people and seeing the difference you can make even just on a lighter touch and how that could be built, built on, I suppose, and really wanting to make a difference and make a difference to a young person that's more long term and meaningful.
Interviewer: Is being a foster carer rewarding?
James Browning: Very much so.
It’s, it's really rewarding like I say, it has its challenges, but once you persevere through them, you kind of see the benefit later.
And it's useful to have your supervision with your fostering social worker, your annual reviews, to make you look back and see the difference you've made and then you really feel how rewarding it is.
Interviewer: Why did you choose Kent County Council rather than an independent fostering agency?
James Browning: I think at the time it was, it made sense to go with KCC because they’re the people who are in charge of it and are the big organisation and KCC does have the size and support structures around being able to provide what it does to a really high level, so I am pleased I made that decision.
I think the relationship between the children in care social working teams and the fostering teams is a very close relationship which means you can get things done quicker that they are able to have that dialogue and that more in depth relationship that really means things can move and be more effective.
Interviewer: What advice would you give to someone thinking about becoming a foster carer?
James Browning: Make sure you have got good friends and family network who are there to support you, because you will need them. But if they are there and they have got the time to be able to support you, then [er] go for it because it is really rewarding.
Interviewer: Contact Kent Fostering on 03000 420 002 or visit kentfostering.co.uk