What happens when you think your family is complete, your husband’s had the snip, and then life hands you two more children overnight? 

In this deeply personal episode, I open up about the unexpected journey into kinship foster care from the trauma, the family politics, the social worker chaos, to the moments I thought I couldn’t go on.

It’s also a story of resilience, love, and learning. From newborn night feeds with bottle in one hand and laptop in another to compassion fatigue, therapy, and finding strength in the hardest of places... this is the truth about kinship care that you don’t see on the polished 'Become a foster carer' adverts.

Peppered with humour (because that’s always been my best coping mechanism), I share how this experience broke me, rebuilt me, and taught me more about love, stress, and survival than I ever imagined possible.

Most of all, it’s a story of hope: that even in the hardest seasons, you can find connection, growth, and a new kind of family you never expected, but grew to love with all your heart anyway.

If you are a kinship carer looking for answers and support or to learn more about kinship care, please visit the Kinship charity website at www.kinship.org.uk 

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Follow Gemma @gemmadeeray www.gemmaray.com
Production @Liverpoolpodcaststudios www.liverpoolpodcaststudios.com