At the Ignite event on 5 September at the Berry School of Arts, every speaker gave us something to think about. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing highlights from each presentation. You can find the presentations as they are published here.
Michael Webb spoke with warmth and honesty about the joys and challenges of being a foster father. His own journey began later in life. After having his first and only biological child at the age of 48, he and his partner decided they could open their home to children who needed a safe place. What started as short-term and emergency placements eventually led to long-term care for a young girl who had experienced serious neglect.
Michael explained the difference between foster care and kinship care. Kinship care means taking in a blood relative, while foster care is opening your home to a child you have never met before. Both matter deeply in a society where orphanages no longer exist, and where the goal is to place children in homes that resemble family life as closely as possible.
He reminded us that fostering is not easy. Children often arrive carrying trauma, neglect, or abuse. Parenting is always a challenge, but foster parenting brings an extra layer of complexity and care. Yet with those challenges come rewards. Fostering allows families to share skills, pass on experiences, and sometimes discover new talents or passions in the children they welcome.
Michael was candid about the impact. You may meet members of the child’s birth family. You may be left in wonder about the twists of fortune. You may even have a few windows replaced along the way. But above all, fostering is about recognising that the child who arrives at your doorstep could easily have been you at an earlier stage of life.
His message was powerful in its simplicity. We are all related. Fostering is an act of humanity, a way of making the larger human family more functional and more compassionate. Opening your doors to a child in need is not only about changing their future. It is about shaping a future where no one is left behind.
#IgniteBerry #MichaelWebb #TheFosteringChallenge #FosterCare #KinshipCare #EveryChildMatters #StrongerTogether