Colleen and Steve

Meet Colleen and Steve

Colleen and Steve are a gentle couple who were inspired by Colleen's brother, a foster carer of many years, to become carers themselves.

Colleen and Steve sat down to answer questions about their fostering experience and share the wonderful impact it has had on them.

Image: Mature foster couple smiling sitting together smiling.

What made you decide to become foster carers?

"I wasn't able to have children," Colleen explained.

"I've always had love and care for children – friends, family – but never considered fostering. The more that we would visit my brother – their house is filled with foster children - I'd think there is probably something missing, we've got something to give, but we didn't know what road to take."

Steve described how a young man in his brother-in-law’s care inspired him.

"He had a few issues, he'd get a little bit angry, but the other side of him, he was very smart, and he was willing to listen."

After a while, Steve and Colleen decided to sign up with Life Without Barriers.

"I haven't looked back," Colleen said.

"We knew we could support a child financially, and we had a lot of love to give us as well."

Now, three years later, Colleen and Steve have their hands full and are enjoying the challenges of caring for two girls with a big age gap.

Are there any moments from your foster care journey that stand out?

Steve explained that he loves being a positive male model for the 17-year-old in their care.

"I've done a few home projects with her, and she's loved it. We built a chicken coop together and laying quarters (where they lay the eggs)," he said.

"She wants to take the right road, and she just needs somebody to guide her. She gets all As and Bs and is an A-class student in Italian and was even able to go on a school excursion to Italy last year!" Colleen proudly boasted.

How have you overcome challenges while being a foster carer?

As with any teenage girl, Colleen and Steve have had challenges. They explain that the 17-year-old in their care wasn't shown any empathy from birth and has had trouble dealing with her emotions, but through the love and care of Colleen and Steve, she is growing and is even learning about herself through the development of her three-year-old foster sister.

"One of the hardest parts is [managing] their social media. No doubt many parents and carers of teenagers these days would agree with that!” Colleen said.

And with a three-year-old, they are also going through the trials and tribulations of having a toddler in the house. Steve explained how he loves "just being around and teaching her different things. And we're learning from her too. She's independent, so she likes to do it her own way!"

Any advice for new foster carers?

Steve said that there are tough times, but what has worked for them is that they are able to support each other through it.

"With Colleen and myself, it's good to have a bit of time where you can talk things out," Steve said.

"We both help each other out."