The Forever Family

Kent Life meets an inspiring couple who have changed children’s lives, and their own, by being foster carers for 21 years

- Sarah Sturt

When I met Tom and Janetta Sams at their characterful home tucked down a country lane in Harrietsham, where Tom has lived since he was five, they had just returned from the 2019 Kent Fostering Appreciation Event with an award for ‘Oustanding Contribution in the Care of other Carers.’

While it soon became apparent that this was a richly deserved accolade, they were clearly shocked and rather than talk about themselves, instead started to tell me about all the other inspirational carers they have met over the course of their 21 years of fostering.

I’d hazard a guess that’s probably a pretty typical response from this couple, two of the most giving and loving people I’ve ever met and who have absolutely no idea quite how amazing they are.

Together for the past 36 years, Janetta tells me why they decided to start fostering after the birth of their own two daughters.

“When the girls were four and eight we wanted to do something that we could do together, that would involve the children and would mean that we would be around them all the time rather than leaving them and going off to an office. So we decided to go down the fostering route.”

Tom adds: “We we were in Sittingbourne, just pushing the girls on the swings, and we thought how happy they were and that we could bring that happiness to other children’s lives too.

“We talked to the girls about it first and they were up for us doing it. The great thing is that fostering has not only changed the lives of the children we’ve cared for, it’s changed our birth children’s lives too. They saw it as a positive thing and it’s certainly influenced their career choices.”

Indeed, one daughter is now a social worker and the other a psychologist, so both have clearly embraced their parents’ values.