Whenever eight-year-old Jake was told he would be spending time at his short break foster carer Sian’s house, he would really look forward to it.
Jake would visit Sian and her family for short stays of up to a few days in length, where he would play football games in the garden and enjoy competitive sessions on Wii Sports with the other children.
Now 26, Jake says those visits for dinner and sleepovers often felt like holidays and he always felt a part of the family.
“In the past, if I said I was in care people’s instant reaction would be to say I’m sorry to hear,” Jake said.
“But they shouldn’t be sorry. I see it as a really good thing to be in care because it gives young people a better life, a better opportunity at doing something they probably would never have done otherwise.”
As he lived nearby in Gwynedd, Jake continued to enjoy short visits to Sian’s house throughout his childhood in care. The bonus of more trusted and caring adults around him, even on a part-time basis, helped build an extended family he could turn to and feel part of his local community.
But while studying sport nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University, his circumstances changed so Jake, aged 18, contacted Sian and her husband Owain who welcomed him into their home on a permanent basis.
With Sian and Owain’s support, Jake has gone on to establish his own business as a personal trainer and now lives independently in Liverpool. He visits home in north Wales frequently and considers them his family.
“If I have any problems or issues they are my first point of contact,” Jake said.
“I see the whole family just as sort of my family now. I see them as my siblings as well.”
“I’m so proud of him,” Sian said. “He’s driven. Obviously I’m proud of what he’s achieved, but I’m proud of so much more than that. He’s got clients, he’s successful in his business but for me I take more pride in the young man he has become and that he has allowed all his experiences to shape him.
“I’m so pleased to see that he’s able to maintain relationships and that he sees us as his family.”
