'Over the years, we've welcomed children from many different cultures'
Fostering Awareness Week, March 2-8
One of the most meaningful parts of fostering is supporting the children to rebuild and strengthen the relationships they have with their own families, say a local couple who have been foster carers for years.
Focus on Foster Care Week 2026 take places from March 2 and to help highlight the work of Irish foster carers, Nicola and Alfie Devine from Castlepollard have spoken about the highs and lows that come with the role.
The Devines began foster care in 2008 and, while they, like anyone, have faced bumps in the road, they’ve never looked back.
Alfie Devine (county councillor) recalls when the pair first decided to open their home to some new family members. “Nicola, she loves children, we’d often go on holidays and we’d go to different places and she was like Mary Poppins to the children.
“We found that when we had our own children, they were young at the time and we decided we’d start fostering.
“It would be something we could give back, we’d seen children who were in difficulty and children who were in care before this.
“Children have been a part of our home and lives for years, we both come from big families. It has been one of the most life changing journeys our family has ever taken.”
When Alfie and Nicola began as foster carers, they were supported by Fostering First, and for them, the organisation was a lifeline.
“They have been a massive supporter of ours throughout the years, providing guidance and encouragement for our own family and the children who come into our home as foster children.
“Their constant presence in the background has been invaluable for us. We could not fully anticipate how much the fostering would shape us in return throughout the years.
“Having the professional and the emotional backing has strengthened our ability to provide a safe and stable home.”
The Devines believe there are vital steps that must be taken when fostering a child. The number one rule for them is to ensure that the child’s culture is not forgotten.
“Over the years, we’ve welcomed children from many different cultures and communities into our home,” said Alfie.
“One of the most important lessons we’ve learned is respecting the children’s culture, their traditions and their backgrounds.
“It’s not just a gesture, it’s essential. Children who come into care are often vulnerable and uncertain.
“And when they know that their identity is respected and that neither they nor their families are judged, they can create a better sense of safety in the home.”
This respect for one another has been successful for Alfie and Nicola. Many of the children that they have cared for are still in contact with one another, as well as their families.
“There’s deep joy and pride in watching children grow in the confidence they’ve built for themselves and being present for all their milestones like the Communion, the Confirmation, their educational achievements and personal goals.
“It can be very rewarding, and one of the most meaningful parts of fostering is supporting the children to rebuild and strengthen the relationships they have with their own families.
“When those bonds improve, the children get a stronger sense of their own identity and belonging.”
Now the family have been fostering a child for 10 years and they are, as Alfie puts it, “part of the furniture now”.
But one thing that Alfie wants to point out to those who may be thinking of fostering, or who already are, is that placements don’t always work out. “It does bring emotional realities that should be spoken about – in foster care, they are, by definition, in care and placements do come to an end for whatever reason. When that time arrives, it can be hard on both the child and the family.
“The bonds that are formed are actually real, the love, the trust, and the attachment, and they don’t disappear. Circumstances change.
“The ending of a placement is not just a transition, it’s human there’s all sorts of grief.”
Fostering First provides support during that. “They (placements) do break down but you do have to remember it’s not their fault, it’s not the children’s fault. It’s just the dynamic doesn’t work or something happens so the dynamic can’t work and there are supports in place for all of that.”
They make a point to advise foster families with children of their own not to forget they also need attention and care. “We did find initially that there’s a huge amount of focus on the foster child and the foster children. Our children, when they were small, often asked us why they get all the attention.
“You need to be wary of that as well because there’s a whole family involved with her including your children.”
Fostering has its unique challenges but it’s clear that Nicola and Alfie wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“It’s just been one of those life changing journeys we’ve had. You see them begin to believe in themselves over the years, for the first time in their own lives, and it reminds us why we actually began this journey.”