“IT is not just about feeding, clothing them and giving them a home, it is about understanding their emotional needs.”

Sarah Wilson loves being a foster mum to two children - a teenage girl and a boy aged under ten - and speaks of the rewards and challenges that the role entails.

Sarah and husband Mike were approved as foster carers three years ago and look upon their children as they do other members of the family.

“We are helping the children, but we want them to have a family life and know what family life is about,” she says. “They are part of the family - we treat them as our own children.”

The couple became foster carers through Barnardo’s, the children’s charity that finds loving, stable homes for children of all ages and backgrounds, many who have suffered neglect, abuse, violence and chaotic surroundings.

They provide the physical care, support and nurturing that good parents offer and ensure that each child has the best opportunities to reach their goals and potential.

Sarah was unable to have children of her own. “I felt as though I wanted to be able to fulfil my need as a parent and we both wanted to help children less fortunate. Fostering was something we said we would try and we have not looked back.

Mike’s two grown-up children and other members of the extended family have welcomed them.

There are 880 children in care in Bradford according to the Department for Education. Children and young people, either from Bradford or other parts of the north, are always in need of homes.

There is a particular need for people with the skills and interests to look after older children and teenagers and also for people who could care for a sibling group of brothers and sisters to allow them to stay together.

Carers are always needed for older children who have had difficult experiences and can have challenging or mistrustful behaviour, but there are also younger children who have confusing or distressing experiences or have special health or behavioural needs and who need carers with the patience and resilience to help them settle and thrive.

Barnardo’s - which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year - is highlighting the need for would-be foster carers to give children safe, loving homes during Fostering and Adoption Week, which runs until Saturday.

“It is not a quick process, but for the right reasons,” says Sarah. “They need to make the necessary checks and learn everything about you.”

The process takes about six months and involves training, a range of checks and references and an in-depth assessment carried out by a social worker and presented to a fostering panel. Although the process is rigorous, there are no set requirements. What is vital is a motivation to care for children, understand their needs and promote their best interests.

She adds: “It is exciting, and nerve-wracking.

“When a child grows up within your family they learn all the whys and wherefores of family life, and what is acceptable and what is not, whereas children coming to you later come with a history. It is not straightforward. They come with their own experiences.

“We help them to cope with whatever traumas they may have been through.”

Fostering can be short or long-term. Some carers choose to offer short-term care for a number of children, preparing them and supporting them to move on to their next stage. Others provide a long-term home for a child or children who will stay with them until independence.

Sarah and Mike are providing a loving home for as long as the children want to stay.

The charity provides specialist training for foster carers. “Barnardo’s has been absolutely fantastic in providing training and support,” adds Sarah.

The couple must write a daily report for Barnardo’s, which is read by social workers. “You are looking for patterns of behaviour,” says Sarah. “It is also a record that the child can look back on, like a dairy.

For carers, the biggest rewards are seeing children and young people blossom and thrive as they develop positive relationships and begin to believe in themselves.

Sometimes carers who have looked after a child for a while ask to be considered as adopters if that is the plan for the child.

Barnardo’s director for the East Region, Steve Oversby, says: “Being a foster carer, ordinary people do something extraordinary - they open their hearts to help children feel secure and loved.”

*For more information call Freephone 0800 0277 280 or visit barnardos.org.uk/fostering.

*The foster carers’ names nave been changed to protect identities.