Carmarthenshire care leaver shares her story

This National Care Leavers Month (November 2025), meet Jodie, a care leaver in Carmarthenshire. Due to concerns at home, Jodie entered foster care as a teenager and spent the rest of her childhood in foster care.

During her time in foster care in Carmarthenshire, Jodie met her foster mother, Jackie. Fourteen years later, they’re continuing to play a huge part in each other’s lives.

Jodie said:

Jackie is the biggest blessing that ever came into my life.
We are mother and daughter.
She has shown me the mother that I would like to be.”

Jodie reflects on her relationship with Jackie, and the stability and confidence Jackie has helped her develop. She speaks openly about the challenges of being in foster care, the hardest part of leaving foster care, and the realisation that she doesn’t need to feel ashamed of her past.

Jodie also shares a heartfelt message for others who have been through foster care, and those in foster care today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services, Children and Families, Cllr Jane Tremlett, said:

National Care Leavers Month is an important time to recognise the resilience and achievements of care leavers. Jodie’s story is one of many that inspires us in Carmarthenshire.”

Despite the challenges she faced, Jodie is now running her own successful business and building a happy life with her two daughters. Her story shows how the right support can help young people move towards a positive future.

To find out more about becoming a foster carer in Carmarthenshire, visit Foster Wales Carmarthenshire.