Elspeth, a paediatric occupational therapist and experienced carer, has been fostering with Hampshire County Council Fostering Service since 2023 as a home-from-home carer. This type of fostering offers children with additional needs a loving, family-based environment for short stays, while building strong, supportive relationships with their birth families, giving parents valuable time to recharge.
Her journey is deeply personal rooted in a family legacy of fostering and shaped by the loss of her adopted son with complex needs. That experience inspired her to support other families navigating similar challenges.
Today, Elspeth cares for a young girl with complex medical needs who lives with her during the week and returns to her birth mother on weekends. This unique arrangement has flourished thanks to the strong, respectful, and collaborative relationship Elspeth has built with the child’s mother.
Initially, the mother believed the placement would be short-term. But as trust grew, she recognised the long-term benefits, not just for her daughter, but for herself. Elspeth takes on the day to day and medical responsibilities, giving the mother the opportunity to focus on being “mum” during their time together. This has transformed their weekends into moments of joy and connection, rather than stress and logistics.
The relationship is more than practical, it’s empowering. The mother now feels confident in her parenting, often calling Elspeth for advice or to share updates. When Elspeth took the child abroad for the first time, it inspired the mother to consider doing the same, something she hadn’t felt possible before.
“She wouldn’t be where she is now if her daughter hadn’t been staying with us,” Elspeth reflects. “Now she enjoys being a parent again.”