Erskine Park couple Felicity and Adam Moreau always knew they had a lot of love to give, but when having their own family wasn’t possible, they decided to take a leap of faith and open up their home to a foster child.
This decision, although challenging at times, has proven to be what they say is the most rewarding part of their lives.
“We started looking into the long term adoption path and that’s when we looked into Barnardos Australia,” Ms Moreau said.
“The process started off with an informal chat over the phone, they came out and explained everything to us and gave us a pack to go through, it took myself and Adam a long time to get through the paperwork.
“We wanted to make sure we’d crossed everything off our list to make sure that our own biological family wasn’t going to happen and to grieve that process as well but Barnardos were glad and respectful that we took that time.”
Over the next 12 months the couple completed assessments, training and matching forms.
This was then put into a pool and when a potential match was flagged, they were able to meet what would soon become the newest member of their family.
“The first meeting is quite daunting. There’s this child, this baby, it took us a while to get used to but we just thought, game on, let’s have some fun and now it’s second nature. He just slotted in straight away,” Ms Moreau said.
“They all have a story and sometimes it’s sad and they’re in this situation because they need someone else to be safe.”
Now the proud foster parents of a two-year-old boy, the couple are looking to make things a little more permanent, as they go through the adoption process.
“It’s amazing to see them grow and develop in front of your eyes, just to give someone somewhere safe and stable has made him go ahead leaps and bounds, we’re very lucky that the birth family support us in doing this,” Ms Moreau said.
With Foster Care Week kick starting on Sunday, September 8, the couple are encouraging those considering this path to call Barnardos and seek information.
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Nicola Barton is a news journalist with the Western Weekender, primarily covering crime and politics.
