Celebrating 20 years of devoted Calon Cymru foster carers!

Calon Cymru foster carers Charmaine and David Goffin have been changing the lives of children and young people for over 30 years. In August of this year, they celebrated 20 years as Calon Cymru foster carers. During this time, they have supported many children and young people by providing them with a caring space where they could feel safe to heal from past traumas and grow towards successful futures.

Many of the children and young people that Charmaine and David have supported have come from homes where they had experienced many varied traumas but not once did Charmaine and David ever allow those young people to feel judged.

“Showing these young people that we accept them as they are and allowing them to live a life free from judgment helps to build strong bonds. We have been fortunate to maintain strong relationships with the majority of the young people that have come into our home and that is so rewarding to know that we have made a positive impact in their life and they appreciate us for that”

Maintaining relationships with children and young people they have fostered in the past has proven to be a positive experience not only for Charmaine and David but also for the young people that have become a part of the extended family since.

A young person who lived with Charmaine and David commented,

“Charmaine and David are always there for us, even when we have moved on to our adult lives we know that they are always at the end of the phone and we keep in touch regularly. Charmaine is like an extra grandparent to us and we call her Umma. It is nice to have that family feel, we don’t have to call her Charmaine or explain who she is, she is just our Umma."

Being a foster carer is about giving young people the opportunity to grow in a safe space and to find out who they want to be, determining a brighter future for themselves. With the care and support that the young people who stay with Charmaine and David receive many of them have gone on to achieve great successes in their lives that may not have been accessible to them before.

They have successfully seen foster placements go through university, join the army, move into homes of their own and achieve successful relationships. Being a foster carer is about providing opportunities for brighter futures.