Member News: Team Fostering young person wins at Fostering Excellence Awards 2017

Outstanding young woman wins national fostering award

An inspirational young woman from Gateshead who has volunteered hundreds of hours for St John Ambulance has been awarded a prestigious national award for young people who have experience of living in foster care.

Skye Marshall won the Outstanding Achievement Award at The Fostering Network’s Fostering Excellence Awards. The award is presented to those who have succeeded through foster care against the odds.

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Skye came into care lacking confidence and full of worry. With hard work and focus she has become an overachiever and an excellent role model to other young people in care.

She has achieved a multitude of accolades in recent years. As well as all her volunteering for St John Ambulance, who she represented at Buckingham Palace, Skye has never taken a day off school, has achieved excellent GCSE results, completed her Duke of Edinburgh bronze award, raised money for a range of charities and even found time to learn sign language and the violin.

Skye’s foster carer, Patsy, who nominated her said: ‘When Skye first moved in with us eight years ago she lacked confidence and was constantly worried. Since then she has worked hard, focused on her chosen path and reaped the rewards for all her effort.’

Skye collected the award this month at The Fostering Excellence Awards ceremony in London. The awards, now in their fourth year, recognise people who make exceptional contributions to foster care, whether they are social workers, foster carers, care experienced young people or the children of fostering families.

Kevin Williams, Chief Executive of The Fostering Network, the UK’s leading fostering charity, said: ‘It’s incredible how much Skye has managed to pack in over the last eight years that she has lived with her foster carer. On top of this Skye is a fantastic role model to the other young people living with her foster carer and a passionate advocate for fostering. She is an embodiment of The Fostering Network’s conviction that, with the right support, especially from their foster carer, young people in foster care can flourish.’

Rachael Johnson, Assistant Director at Team Fostering said: 'We are so delighted to hear of Skye's success in The Fostering Excellence Awards; her achievements are truly remarkable. We'd also like to pay very special thanks to Patsy Marshall, Skye's Foster Carer, who should take this achievement as recognition of the care, encouragement and support she has afforded to children and young people during her career as a foster carer.

Source:
http://www.teamfostering.co.uk