Published on Wednesday 2 September, 2020

Operating theatre nurse Jenna and her husband Jake, a landscaping business owner, live in Broken Hill NSW. Becoming Foster Carers was a dream that both Jenna and Jake had shared for a long time - even before they met.

Jenna, 33, said, “When Jake and I first got together as a couple I told him I’d like to foster children when I’m older, and unbeknown to me, he also wanted the same.”

“We’re the kind of people that can’t imagine how things will work until we’re in the thick of it, so we didn’t have any expectations prior to becoming Foster Carers,” said Jenna.

After getting married and having a daughter of their own, Jenna and Jake decided to take the leap and applied to become Foster Carers.

“We both work full-time so we wanted to take it slow and see how it went, especially for our daughter. We knew that fostering children was going to be busy, but it’s been really rewarding, and our daughter has been so great with it all,” said Jenna.

Fast forward to today, the couple is now fostering 10-month-old baby boy, Ben* and 12-year-old Hannah* in a long-term placement. They also provide fortnightly respite care.

“Every child we’ve fostered has been such a blessing. Amazingly, they’ve all just slotted right in with our family and our household. It’s just been great,” said Jenna.

“Most of the kids we provide respite care for always ask to come back or if they can stay, which is quite nice. So we do have quite a few regulars on respite that come back and stay with us,” said Jenna.

“Surprisingly we haven’t had any kids that have been shy or standoffish and even the older kids that we’ve cared for love spending time with us, talking about their lives in school and asking us questions. We’ve been so lucky that every child that’s come into the house has been such a comfortable fit,” said Jenna.

When asked what she would tell others who were thinking of becoming a Foster Carer Jenna said, “I’d tell them to do it. It’s the most rewarding experience that you could ever have. It’s not what people think it’s going to be, you do have the flexibility to make choices that best suit your family.”

“If things aren’t really working out, Lifestyle Solutions is there to support you – you do have options if you are overwhelmed or struggling. But for the most part, it’s just so rewarding and such a blessing,” said Jenna.