We are delighted to announce that Tracy Harrison has won the Inspirational Foster Carer of the Year award at the local Women’s Magazine Inspirational Women of the Year Awards. Here is her story:
“I have been a foster carer for the Belfast Trust for nearly 30 years, caring for children ranging from 6 months to 22 years old until they completed their education. For the past 20 years, my husband and I have been part of the Adolescent Fostering Partnership (AFP) Team, specifically focusing on caring for teenagers. Working with teenagers is challenging, especially considering the additional issues they face and the difficulty of settling into a family unit after coming into care.
We initially became foster carers to help keep siblings together, as we have four children of our own and couldn’t bear the thought of them being separated if anything happened to us. Because of this, we were happy to take in multiple children to ensure families stayed united.
Fast forward 30 years, and we have fostered nearly 300 children, including those in respite, short-term, and long-term care. Currently, we are fostering five teenagers, including two sets of siblings from diverse cultural and cross-community backgrounds, and we have also cared for many children with disabilities. Despite the challenges of fostering, it is a vocation for us. Seeing the positive impact we can make in these young people’s lives is immensely rewarding and reaffirms that we are doing something meaningful and valuable.”
Tracy has also inspired her sister and four children to become foster carers. At KWC, we have always known she is inspiring, and we are thrilled to see her and her husband Geordie receive this well-deserved recognition.
