FOSTER carers play a vital role in offering a loving, stable environment to a child who is not able to stay with their own family.

And while the role does bring its obvious challenges, a couple from Edgworth say that the highs the job brings by far outweigh the lows.

Pam and Alan Lace have been foster carers for 14 years and have looked after about 20 children in that time — four of whom still live with them.

Already parents to three boys of their own, the pair have decided to speak about their experience during Fostercare Fortnight, which runs until Sunday, to encourage others to take up the "rewarding" role.

Mrs Lace, aged 56, said: "My husband will agree with me when I say that it has been the most challenging but also the most rewarding thing we have ever done.

"It is something that I have considered since I was quite young. My husband didn't think about it until we discussed it together but we decided to wait until our three boys were in their late teens before we enquired.

"I used to work as a nurse but I decided I wanted to devote my time to fostering. I love it. I enjoy working from home — and it doesn't feel like work at all. We make the children part of the family and I can't think of anything else that I'd rather do."

Mrs Lace says hearing first hand from her mother Eileen Winstanley — who sadly died in February this year — about what it was like growing up in a children's home, she knew she wanted to do everything she could to make the youngsters she fostered feel like part of the family.

Mrs Lace said: "Listening to what my mum went through had a massive impact on our decision to foster. Alan and I feel that young people in care are society's responsibility — not just the government or social services.

"After discussing it at length with my husband, we contacted social services initially and asked them to send us some information. The whole process from applying to getting our first placement was about nine months. What the council does is place Bolton children with Bolton families too, so they never go too far away from home.

"We got through the preparation classes which we really enjoyed, and that made us hungry to get started. We then went to a panel who rubber stamped everything and within a couple of weeks we had our first placement."

The couple welcomed Rachel*, then aged five, to their home in 2001.

Mrs Lace said: "Rachel was the first child that we fostered and she's still with us now aged 19.

"We were determined that the children we looked after would not experience what my mum had. We make sure that when a child came to us we found out what their favourite cartoon or TV show was, for example, and put posters in their room, or made sure they had a treasured toy with them.

"We've always had animals — now on the farm we have dogs, horses, ducks and geese. I think they offer some kind of therapy for the children. For Rachel, she was more interested with the dogs than us at first. She had very challenging behaviour at first but now she is as much a part of the family as our boys, and always helps us with the other children."

Three years after Rachel arrived, her sister Claire*, now 16, was fostered by the couple — who also still lives with them.

They also have two other long-term placements, James*, aged 15, and Melanie*, aged 10.

Mrs Lace said: "Initially we did worry about the kinds of challenges we would face, but you get an abundance of information beforehand from social services and there has never been a child that we have said no to.

"The key is to never be afraid to ask for help or advice if you need it. You need to be consistent with behaviour and set firm but fair boundaries and explain all the time why you have set them. As a couple, you both need to be dedicated to doing it, going to school assemblies and parents evenings as well as juggling social service visits.

"Each child is different but we always treat each child as one of our own as much as we can and provide them with whatever they need. If they show an interest in a hobby such as horse riding we will nurture that all we can — no matter how short a period of time they are with us."

The role is not all plane sailing — Mrs Lace says that sadness can sometimes come with the territory.

She said: "It has been very difficult at times. One in particular was a young boy we fostered for a couple of years whose parents could not look after him. We would have loved to have continued looking after him but members of his extended family came forward to take him. While that is a positive thing for him and it is right he stays with his family — that was the hardest thing we have had to deal with."

Despite this difficult time, Mrs Lace said she would not change her decision to become a foster carer.

She said: "The rewards outweigh the challenges. It has helped that we have had a strong support network from our family and our sons, and our parents have never differentiated between the foster children and their grandchildren.

"It is not a role for everyone, and certainly not something to rush into or take lightly, but if there is room in your house and room in your heart you should not hesitate to do it."

Cllr Linda Thomas, Deputy leader of Bolton Council, said: “Fostering a child can be both challenging and rewarding, and we value people like Pam and Alan immensely who have devoted many years of their lives to helping young people in the borough who have needed a warm and welcoming home. We are always looking for people with the commitment to make a difference to a young person’s life and the local authority is best placed to offer the relevant support to Bolton people providing foster care to Bolton children.”

To find out about fostering in Bolton, visit bolton.gov.uk/fostering/Pages/fosteringhome.aspx.

*Names have been changed.