‘We felt we had a home to give a child’: Leitrim couple share their fostering journey

Ronan and Sinéad Kielty had always pictured raising children together, but things didn’t turn out as they expected. The couple, now in their 40s, spent about 15 years in Dublin before moving to their home in a rural area of their native Leitrim with their two dogs just before Covid-19. 

Fostering hadn’t been on their radar until they stumbled across an article in the Leitrim Observer about a couple who had fostered children for 30 years. “I remember saying to Sinéad, maybe this is something we should look into,” Ronan recalls.

Becoming a carer

“We felt we had a home to give a child — or some kids,” he says. Soon they were in touch with Tusla, attending information evenings and beginning what would become an 18-month process to become foster carers. 

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The process involved interviews, training workshops, and Garda vetting to ensure fostering was the right fit and that they were fully prepared. It also helped determine what kind of care potential carers could provide — the ages of children they could support and the types and lengths of placements they were open to.

“They ask you everything — what you had for breakfast and what came out the other end,” Ronan jokes. “But it was good and obviously the right thing to do,” adds Sinéad.

Still, there was never any pressure, they say. “If you have any doubts at any point, you can step back. You can re-enter the whole process again further down the road,” says Ronan.

By 2023, they were qualified foster carers and have since welcomed children into their home, ranging in age from three to eighteen, for placements of varying lengths.

When a child needs a home, Tusla assigns a link worker to the foster carers, providing some background information about the child, how long they might stay, and helping decide if the placement is a good fit. The couple say there’s never pressure to take a placement if it doesn’t feel right.

“It’s like a team between us and Tusla,” Ronan says. “The child’s best interests are always at the heart of it, so that’s why you have to speak up if it’s not the right time or right place.”

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Making a Difference

And even when everything feels right on paper, welcoming a child into your home is still a leap into the unknown.

“We were nervous, sure,” says Sinéad. “But the person coming in is way more nervous. We're in our own home. So, whatever way we might have felt, we weren't the worst coming into the dynamic”

There are challenges in fostering — you’re suddenly parachuted into a child’s life with little knowledge of where they’ve come from. There’s a lot to learn: changing nappies, potty training, or dealing with bedtime tantrums. But at the heart of it, it’s about providing love, care, and stability.

“The key is to make them feel at home,” says Ronan. “You're giving them somewhere secure and safe, and there's no pressure. Feed them, look after them, keep them safe, take them here or there. It's the basics,” says Ronan.

And even short stays can make a big impact. “You’d be surprised — you can see the difference it can make. Even in just two, three, or four weeks, once you get a steady routine going,” Ronan says. “You can see them blossom into a different person.”

With foster placements, it’s often uncertain how long a child will stay with their carers. The hope is usually that the child will eventually return to their natural family, but no matter the length of the stay, saying goodbye is always hard. “I’ll be honest — I’ve cried every time a child has left,” Sinéad admits. “You just hope they got something meaningful out of their time here.”

A real bond forms, and the couple say they get so much from having the children in their lives. “You think about all of them,” Ronan says. “You wonder where they are, how they’re getting on. That’s just life, I suppose — you do your best for them, and then it’s on to the next.”

For Ronan and Sinéad, fostering has brought a lot to their lives too. “That sector of our life was missing that component,” Ronan says, “and it's definitely helped fill that”.

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Getting Involved

Right now, it is Foster Carer Awareness Month, and there’s a national shortage of foster carers. Across Sligo and Leitrim, there are around 100 active carers for roughly 120 children in the system, but more are needed.

“There can be myths out there where people think their circumstances rule them out,” says Anne McGloin, foster and social work leader in Sligo-Leitrim and West Cavan.

In reality, fostering is open to almost anyone — whether married, single, in a same-sex relationship, from diverse backgrounds, with or without disabilities, employed or unemployed. As long as you are healthy enough and pass a Garda vetting you are allowed to apply to be a carer.

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Carers receive an allowance to help cover costs, children have medical cards, and Tusla is available to support families with medical or dental needs along the way.

“The most important thing is that a person can provide a stable, nurturing, and loving environment for children,” she says.

Anyone interested in fostering can find out more here