From Carer to Colleague: What I Learnt from 6.5 Years of Parent and Child Fostering

From Carer to Colleague: What I Learnt from 6.5 Years of Parent and Child Fostering

Sabrina Prescott doesn’t sugar-coat the reality of Parent and Child (P&C) fostering. Her experience is raw, honest, and deeply insightful. “You have to have a lot of patience,” she says. “It’s not easy. But it’s one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do.”

Now a Social Work Assistant at Blue Sky Fostering’s Dorset hub, Sabrina draws on her six and a half years as a Parent and Child foster carer to support others starting the journey. With compassion and lived experience, she helps guide foster carers through the challenges, celebrating the life-changing rewards that come with this specialist type of fostering.

Watch our video interview with Sabrina below, or read on to gain an understanding of Sabrina's Parent and Child journey...

Starting the Journey

Sabrina’s journey into fostering began after she ran a mother and baby hostel in Bournemouth, which sadly closed due to funding. At the time, her family was extending their home, creating the ideal space to offer support to young parents in need. “Because I came from that role, I definitely wanted to do Parent and Child fostering,” she explains. “It was always the thing that I had the most interest in.”

Having raised her own three children, she felt she could offer both experience and empathy. “I just felt it was something I could help with.”

The Day-to-Day Realities

Parent and Child fostering is unique. The foster carer isn’t just caring for a baby or a child, but also supporting a vulnerable parent through a period of intense assessment, often linked to court proceedings.

“You are having to write reports on a daily basis,” Sabrina says. “It’s not your opinion—it has to be factual. You’re documenting how well it’s gone, whether she’s taken on advice, whether she can pick up on baby’s cues, and whether she’s interacting in a safe manner.”

These reports contribute to assessments over a 26-week period. “That parent should stay with you during that time if they can still do it,” she says. “Every day, you’re teaching them something new.”

Sabrina recalls trips out, helping parents experience things they never had the chance to. “A lot of it is actually giving them a family unit, which they often haven’t had. They fit into your family, they play with your children. Everyone has a part.”

“A lot of it is actually giving them a family unit, which they often haven’t had. They fit into your family, they play with your children. Everyone has a part.”

Building Trust and Respect

One of Sabrina’s standout skills was her ability to build trust with the mothers she supported. “You have to become friends with them first, before you start suggesting different ways of doing things,” she explains. “You’ve got to build that relationship, especially when they’re scared their child could be taken away. This is their last chance saloon.”

“You’ve got to build that relationship, especially when they’re scared their child could be taken away."

Sabrina shares a touching memory: “I remember sitting on the floor once during a meeting. One of my girls was getting worked up, and I just sat next to her, hand on her foot. When she started taking it too far, I gave her a little nudge - ‘you’re taking it too far’. She calmed right down. That’s the kind of relationship you can have.”

The Emotional Challenge and Reward

While P&C fostering is incredibly rewarding, Sabrina is clear about the emotional toll. “You don’t have that same attachment with the parent as you would a child, but if you do it right, they build a really good trust with you.”

There are good days and hard ones, but the impact of the role makes every challenge worthwhile. “It’s such a rewarding job. The good times really outdo the tough times.”

A New Chapter: Supporting Carers from the Inside

After six and a half years, Sabrina felt it was time for a change. “My children had got older. They didn’t really need me at home as much, and I just felt like I needed my home back.”

When she saw a vacancy for a Social Work Assistant at Blue Sky Fostering, she knew it was the right move. “I came to the mainstream team to support the Parent & Child carers,” she explains. “It’s nice for me to be able to put my input in this side of it because if you’ve not been there, you don’t understand what it’s like.”

“It’s nice for me to be able to put my input in this side of it because if you’ve not been there, you don’t understand what it’s like.”

Now, she uses her experience to reassure and empower other foster carers. “There’s nothing to be scared about Parent & Child fostering,” she says. “At the end of the day, the parent is a TLC child - even if they’re 22, 25, or even 29. They still have all the same needs.”

“Parent and Child All the Way”

Reflecting on her journey, Sabrina’s passion is unwavering. “I would say Parent and Child all the way,” she says with a smile. “I’m so Parent and Child. I love it.”

Her story is a testament to the power of compassion, structure, and support. By opening her home, she changed lives. And now, through her role at Blue Sky Fostering, she continues to do so—this time, by standing alongside other carers, guiding them through one of the most impactful roles in fostering.

Want to understand more about Parent and Child fostering? Read more about it here.