Fostering a Better Future: Meet the carer who has been fostering children for almost half her life

A woman, who has spent almost half her life fostering young people says she has “an ever-growing family” and she “would never give it up”.

Rachel Elkington started the application process to become a foster carer at the age of 25 after going through a divorce young and wanting more children.

Now 51, Rachel, from Portsmouth, has dedicated the last 24 years to fostering more than 30 young people and children.

The level three carer is supporting a new campaign - Fostering a Better Future - launched by The News this week to encourage the recruitment of more foster parents across the city amid a national decline.

Since 2021, the country has seen a 10 per cent drop in the number of carers, while the number of children in the care has risen sharply from 64,460 in 2010 to 81,770 in 2025, levels not seen since the 1980s. This unprecedented shortage of carers has placed acute strain on authorities trying to secure placements for young people.

In Portsmouth, there were approximately 232 fostering households as of March 2025, working alongside the council's fostering service, Foster Portsmouth. In total there are approximately 1,700 children in care in Hampshire, including an estimated 400 in Portsmouth alone.

Rachel said: “We have lost so many foster carers. My fostering journey has given me an ever-growing family and I'm extremely grateful for this, so if you have room in your home and heart, please reach out. We are in desperate need of more foster carers and would warmly welcome you to our fostering team.

“Speak to foster carers that are doing it - that would be my biggest piece of advice. Get some real life insight from real carers and if you are patient and passionate, then it’s for you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be worried about challenging something if you feel it's not in the child's best interest - after all you are there to advocate for these children and being the foster carer who they live with, we are often the ones to know them best.

“You are not here to fix everything but you’re there to nurture and support them. These children are only ours to borrow - they come with so many complex needs and we have to be here as long as they need us to be.

“I have been very lucky and I feel humble for a lot of the children. You can’t wrap fostering up in a bow, if you’re walking into it you need to do it with your eyes open. It is challenging - I’ve done this for a long time but despite the challenges, you pick up and carry on.”

The mum-of-two, who was adopted at a young age, said working as a nurse in a maternity ward was also a driving force that prompted her to foster on a full-time basis. Rachel told The News how raising her two sons while being a foster carer enabled them to become empathetic adults who understand the importance of a nurturing environment.

She said: “I always wanted a large family and I have got that now. I’ve got so many children and that’s why I do it. I just wanted a lot of children and didn’t get the chance to have any more - I had my two children and then wanted to foster. If you’ve got the heart and the room for these children, it is really important to give them that and it was something that came absolutely naturally to me.

“I think this is what I was always meant to do. I love it, I really do. They all come with their challenges but what teenagers don’t? A lot of these children that come into your home have gone through trauma and it’s heartbreaking and challenging but it’s so important to help them. I would never give this up.”

Although Rachel primarily fosters children for a minimum of two years, she has also taken in young people for as little as 24 hours on an emergency basis while a suitable placement is found.

Over the years, she has maintained contact with the majority of people she has fostered. “A few of them are married and they have kids and they call me grandma”, she added, “I’ve got a long Christmas list. It’s not always about being blood, it’s my chosen family and I’ve got a lot of love for them.”

To be an eligible foster carer you must:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Have a legal right to work or live in the UK
• Possess a spare bedroom
• Pass a background check
• Live in the UK

For more information about fostering in Portsmouth, call 0300 131 2797 or email [email protected].

To get involved in fostering in Hampshire, call 0300 131 2797 or email [email protected].