EVERY year, tens of thousands of children across the UK need foster carers, meaning that thousands of new foster carers are needed every year to care for them.

One couple who decided to take the plunge and become foster parents are Derick and Jan Wood, who live near Basildon town centre.

Mrs Wood said: “When we had made the decision to apply to become foster carers, we had a wide range of reactions from ‘You must be mad!’ to ‘We couldn’t do it.’

“We explained that we would receive specific training and would receive ongoing support as would the children and young people placed with us.

“They all agreed to support us as a family unit and for this we have always been extremely grateful.”

Mr Wood, 55, explained that the couple became interested in fostering after having their own children.

He added: “We thoroughly enjoyed bringing up our own children and we worked well as a team.

“We wanted to offer the same opportunities to those children who were less well off than our own.

“We spoke to our children about possibly fostering and although they were cautious we decided as a family to do some research.”

The couple joined Foster Care Associates and have fostered several children, including an “extremely challenging” ten-year-old.

Under their care, the youngster began to flourish before he was moved on.

They have also taken in a16-year-old girl who suffered from an eating disorder and was self-harming.

After she became pregnant, the girl asked for the Woods to care for her baby, which they did until he went to live with his paternal grandmother.

Now two years old, the Woods remain in touch with the family.

Mrs Wood, 54, said: “The challenges of being a foster carer are many and varied as each child or young person is very different, requiring you to adjust, be open minded and most of all non-judgmental.

“Although it can be emotionally challenging, on the flip side we have learnt so much about those who come to live with us and also about ourselves, our capabilities and limitations.

“We have been part of and witnessed some incredibly moving moments.”

The couple are currently supporting a 33-year-old woman, who is believed to be a victim of human trafficking.

She is mother to an eight-year-old girl who lives with a close friend of her mother’s and a two-year-old boy.

She has a chronic illness - kidney and pancreatic failure – which requires her to have dialysis three times a week.

Her baby boy was born at 28 weeks and needs to be fed via a tube and while in hospital he contracted a virus which has left him with chronic liver failure and heart disease.

In order to survive he is on oxygen 24 hours a day and takes 11 different medications, which are spread over 24 hours, two of which have to be taken every four hours.

Mrs Wood said: “My role is to support mum and baby in any way I can, emotionally and physically.

“I make sure she is suitably supported when she attends her many different health appointments.

“I also need to make sure that when she is in hospital having dialysis, I am on hand to take care of her son. This involves making sure he has his medication and attends all his necessary GP and hospital appointments.

“They both lived in hospital until her son was 14 months old and have no contact with the father at all.

“He has a number of developmental problems – speech and language, feeding and swallowing, cardiology, respiratory, gastronomy and neurological.

“ I work alongside Nikita to encourage him to attain the goals set by different health professionals.

“Although the placement was originally only for 49 days, Nikita and George have been with us for nine months and the placement is ongoing.”

The couple have been fostering through FCA, but there are a number of other agencies and companies across South Essex.