A couple from Milton Keynes have taken the title for Foster Carer of the Year at The National Children and Young People Awards.
Amanda and David Eyeington have been fostering with Orange Grove Foster Care in Milton Keynes for 14 years, maintaining lasting relationships with many of the children they’ve cared for.
Their award entry celebrated the outcomes they achieve for children and young people, highlighting how they ‘immerse all those they care for in a loving, kind and incredibly supportive environment.’
“From when we first got married we have had many people live with us, lodgers and people in need,” said Mrs Eyeington, “Fostering felt an extension of this as our children began to leave home giving us spare bedrooms. I hate an empty house.
“Fostering is challenging and not an easy role. I can’t imagine doing anything different. I love working with children, young people and their families. I see it as being a small part in helping to support, change and influence lives. We don’t always see the effect of what we put in. I would recommend fostering, it is a life changing role.”
The Eyeingtons currently have a child with Down’s Syndrome in their care who through ongoing commitment from the Eyeingtons is fully embedded in both his birth and foster families. The award nomination celebrated how their foster child’s birth family have become an extended part of the Eyeington household, providing the child with the best of both.
Erica Eversfield is the registered manager at Orange Grove and nominated the couple for this award.
“Mandy and Dave have a wonderfully warm and engaging personality, which they have drawn on throughout their time fostering,” Erica said, “They have always shown patience, trust, understanding and provided consistency for children.
“They have a unique secret recipe which they bring, this is built from their own life experiences, qualities and attributes that mixed together make them a truly exceptional couple that children who live with them, love them and want to stay and that I was extremely proud to put forward for this award.”
The Children and Young People Awards ceremony was a black-tie event held at the ICC in Birmingham as a celebration of professionals, teams, and foster parents making a difference to children and young people in foster and residential care settings.
The Orange Grove team hopes that by shining a light on the power of foster parents like the Eyeingtons it will encourage more people to consider opening up their homes to some of the 410 children in care in Milton Keynes.
For more information on the agency or becoming a foster parent visit www.orangegrovefostercare.co.uk or call 0800 369 8513.
