Portsmouth foster carer on her 40-year journey of helping young people, and why she is 'not stopping any time soon'

A woman who has been fostering children for over 40 years has said she’s ‘not stopping any time soon’.

Diane Gash has made her mark on the fostering community after taking in her first foster child in the 1980s.

The 73-year-old said “she came to stay and she stayed with us for ages, but we still speak now. She’s got her own grandchildren now.”

Today she has shared her story as part of The News’ ‘Fostering a Better Future’ campaign. It has been launched to encourage more people to come forward and learn about the rewards it can bring and help with the recruitment of foster parents.

This comes after shocking data revealed a national shortage of carers. Figures from March 2025 highlighted there are an estimated 400 children in care in the city, with 232 fostering households working alongside Foster Portsmouth.

After her foster child had settled independently, Diane chose not to foster any more children until the late 2000s so she could turn her attention to supporting young homeless people between 16 and 25.

But then 16 years ago, the Fratton carer decided to look into doing it again - and has never looked back.

She explained: “So my husband and I, we went into fostering. We mostly look after teenagers because I love them and they get a bit of a raw deal. Everybody likes the little ones and the babies and all that sort of thing, but we've always focused on teenagers. They're amazing young people.

“I call them my borrowed children because they have a family, but I'm the next best thing until things are sorted out. We have great relationships with all our young people.

“I decided to give up my job, but you don't have to give up your job. It's not absolutely essential. There's different levels of fostering, but I decided that if I was going to help young teenagers, then I would need to be available all the time and not have a job.”

Diane is supported by her husband in their fostering duties, and she said they split responsibilities ‘50-50’.

“He does all the sporty things and all that sort of thing,” Diane continued.

“I do all the home things, and the running around, and taking them to clubs, and picking them up if they've gone to see a friend or whatever

“The children we have usually what we call stay long term, which means they're not in just for five minutes and out the door again. They tend to want to stay and they stay until they want to leave.

“Every young person that we've had come through our door has gone on to prove to everybody that all young people can do something. They just need encouragement and love and warmth.”

The majority of the young people Diane has helped have gone on to university and college and now live independently. In order to support young adults transition into adulthood, Diane and her husband teach them essential life skills including cooking, cleaning, and washing.

Despite multiple success stories, Diane explained that fostering a young person is not without its challenges.

She told The News: “Things can get rocky, like with any teenager, not just because they're a foster child, but because they're teenagers. Sometimes they think, ‘I've had enough’ and then they calm down and say ‘I'm sorry, and it's fine’.

“If you’ve ever had your own children or grandchildren, it's no different. It's no different than in a normal family, when your son or your daughter says to you, ‘I've had enough of you, Mum’.

“It's a normal human response, but they do listen. That's the biggest thing. If you are able to bond and bring that relationship, then they will listen. The other thing that people who are thinking about fostering might struggle with is the young people's own family. I'm a big believer in trying to help mend broken bridges. The young people always want to see their own family, which is understandable, so where you can, you help. I think a big part of fostering is to help with that. You are looking after people’s babies.”

All the young people Diane has cared for over the years still keep in touch with her, with family events blending her foster and birth children.

Her own children have also benefitted from having fostered young people in their lives. She said: “My children understood the trauma and some awful things that our other young people have gone through and how we were able to help them make the right choices and go on to make a really, really good life for themselves.”

Diane believes that Portsmouth's foster caring service is “really supportive”. She continued: “I know other people that foster in different areas and I would say that Portsmouth comes up really high on the care they give the carers as well as the young people.

“You have your own social worker, as well as the child having a social worker. You have your own family social worker who comes and sees you monthly and makes sure everything's okay, and are really supportive.

“There is no lower age and there is no higher age. As long as you are well enough to look after a young person and you have a spare room, it is the greatest gift you can give somebody.”

For anyone considering fostering, Diane encourages that they speak to a foster carer.

She said: “We have a mentoring system now that's been installed in Portsmouth, people who have been fostering for a while help new foster carers. You can ask any questions you want, or you can talk to the local council.

“They have great people there and the support that you get from the council and the training is second to none.

“We just desperately need more carers, more people with empathy, more people that just really want to give something back.”

Last year, there were a total of 33,435 foster homes in England, marking a 10 per cent drop since 2021.

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].

For more information about Foster Portsmouth, click here.

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