Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 7 hours ago
This National Care Leavers Month (November 2025), meet Jodie, a care leaver in Carmarthenshire. Due to concerns at home, Jodie entered foster care as a teenager and spent the rest of her childhood in foster care.
During her time in foster care in Carmarthenshire, Jodie met her foster mother, Jackie. Fourteen years later, they’re continuing to play a huge part in each other’s lives.
Jodie said: “Jackie is the biggest blessing that ever came into my life.We are mother and daughter.She has shown me the mother that I would like to be.”
Jodie reflects on her relationship with Jackie, and the stability and confidence Jackie has helped her develop. She speaks openly about the challenges of being in foster care, the hardest part of leaving foster care, and the realisation that she doesn’t need to feel ashamed of her past.
Jodie also shares a heartfelt message for others who have been through foster care, and those in foster care today.
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services, Children and Families, Cllr Jane Tremlett, said: “National Care Leavers Month is an important time to recognise the resilience and achievements of care leavers. Jodie’s story is one of many that inspires us in Carmarthenshire."
Despite the challenges she faced, Jodie is now running her own successful business and building a happy life with her two daughters. Her story shows how the right support can help young people move towards a positive future.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer in Carmarthenshire, visit Foster Wales Carmarthenshire.

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:00Hello, I'm Jodie. I grew up in foster care in Carmarthenshire. I entered the foster care system
00:10as a teenager and I left when I was 18 years old. During my time in foster care I had two foster
00:16carers. One very lucky day I met Jackie, the biggest blessing that ever came into my life.
00:23She took me horse riding the first time that I met her and then on the way back from the horse
00:28riding we stopped in the shop and she asked me to choose whatever biscuits I wanted and we chose
00:34like an assorted selection and we went home and we watched children in need together and I just
00:39felt safe for the first time in a very long time. Now that might sound simple to you but for me who
00:45had never really been able to relax and enjoy the little things in life that meant everything. Due to
00:50ongoing concerns at home I then moved in with Jackie full time. I was very very lucky and 14 years on
00:57now we still have the most magical relationship. We are mother and daughter.
01:01Jackie lives around the corner from me. We love going walking together. She is a grandmother to my
01:11children and she has shown me the mother that I would like to be. For a long time I didn't talk
01:16about the fact that I grew up in foster care. It's not often spoken about and I did worry about being
01:21judged but now I've made peace with my past and I'm really proud of where I come from. Jackie has taught
01:27me how to be a strong independent woman. If you're to ask me on this planet one person who is my
01:33inspiration it is Jackie. Sorry. Jackie has got a heart of gold. She always goes above and beyond for
01:42me. Nothing is ever too much for her and she's the reason that I am here today. I'm now a mum of two
01:50beautiful daughters. I run a successful business and I'm really happy in life despite everything
01:56that's ever been thrown at me. What about the hardest point of being in foster care Jodie?
02:02I would say the hardest part of being in foster care is definitely feeling different and as a child
02:07feeling very responsible for the circumstances that you end up in but as an adult now I've realized
02:12that these were things beyond my control and I don't need to feel that. What's been the most difficult
02:19thing about leaving care? The most difficult thing for me was definitely worrying about whether I'd still have
02:25that family unit that I'd made within foster care but lucky enough for me I can't get rid of Jackie.
02:31She's over there now watching me in the corner of the room and yeah just it couldn't have worked out
02:37any better. To anybody who has been through the foster care system or is currently in it I'm proud of you
02:43and just know how no matter how hard it gets this is just a small period of your life and your potential is
02:50extraordinary.
02:56you
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended