Northumberland foster carer shares his own story to encourage others to take up the role

"I am gay, I am autistic, I'm single."

Foster carer Dan Brown thought his personal circumstances would count against him when he first applied to look after children but in the end, that was not the case.

Three years on and he is encouraging others not to shy away from taking up the role.

Speaking to ITV News Tyne Tees, he said: "I certainly went through a period of thinking I wouldn't be able to be a foster carer.

"[I thought] I wouldn't be able to succeed because of my age. I was 32 when I started, my sexuality, I am gay, I am autistic, I'm single.

"Even being a male I thought might have been looked upon less favourably. It did put me off a little bit and I was turned down by a couple of places initially but I kept trying, asking the question, and finally they said yes."

Mr Brown, from Northumberland, is speaking out as part of a wider call from Foster With North East for people to come forward to foster.

One of their key messages is that foster caring is for anybody.

"People of all experiences and life experiences have skills to offer," added Mr Brown. "They can be used to benefit children who have had a very difficult start."

Mr Brown draws on his own experiences, which he said have given him the skills he needed for the job.

"I went into fostering because my parents were foster carers when I was growing up," he continued.

"They always instilled in me the attitude and morals that if you have something to share, share it and give it to people who have less."

These, he said, were patience, time, routine and most significantly, empathy.

"For children that have had a lot of adverse childhood experiences, it's quite important to be able to understand," he added.

According to Foster With North East, there are more than 6,000 children in care but there are just more than 1,500 approved foster carers - a fall of a third in available foster families compared with last year.

That demand has prompted the launch of a new support team, operating across the region's 12 council areas from Northumberland to Redcar and Cleveland.

Through phone contact with trained social workers, along with a new website, the service aims to signpost prospective foster carers through the system.

Jill Colbert, of Foster With North East, said the service was for any adult in the North East who might be interested in providing some care for children.

"We welcome applications from the LGBTQi community, from our black and Asian communities," she said.

"We want to be really inclusive because, of course, children bring lots of different needs and their own identity that we'd love them to see reflected in their foster carers."

For more information visit Foster With North East's website.

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