Stuart Black & Inta Romane
Inta was born in Kazakhstan to a Ukrainian mother and Latvian father. When her mum died when she was 3 years old, she moved to Ukraine then Latvia where she was brought up by her aunt and her husband. The Soviet system of adoption was painfully slow, and she was eventually adopted at 16 with the issue of a new birth certificate.
Inta has 3 birth children. Elvijs and Emils have left home; Krista lives at home. She has three grandsons: Myles, Henley and Everts.
Stuart brought up his step-son, Alfie, from the age of 7.
When a friend died in 2017, Stuart and Inta took on her 3 children, then aged 5, 6 and 14. Initially under a Child Arrangements Order, then as family & friends (aka kinship) Foster Carers under a Care Order. After 11 court hearings, 8 in the High Court, they became Special Guardians to Gabby, Kris and Dan.
Stuart has since joined the Family Rights Group (FRG) Kinship Panel, become an FRG Trustee, and joined the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) Family Forum.
Stuart says “I believe that by integrating different perspectives we can create better understandings and so better solutions to the challenges that we face”.
Cheryl Kimber
I first met the world of social services some 19 years ago, my husband and I started the adoption training and around 18 months later we adopted our son. Going through the transition for our son to move from fostering family to ours, we got to know the other children in the family (foster and birth) very well, we became life long friends with our son’s foster carer; this sparked our path into fostering and an enduring passion began, to stay curious in a system that is often a labyrinth of complexities.
Four years later we became a fostering family and the last 12 years have been significant in shaping my understanding around the many layers in social care whilst effectively challenging on behalf of those working and living in the heart of the fostering community. I feel we enable the most hopeful outcomes when we work together, although this is only possible when all those around the child feel truly heard; therein lies the challenge.
Previously I was Chair of Surrey’s Fostering Exec for four years, which meant the committee and I worked hard to have input into areas that needed growth and change, we ran support groups and events, mediated in allegations and advocated for the foster carer, child/ young person to be heard.
In recent years I have taken my learning and become part of the People with Lived Experience group at a local University. I see my role as bringing the reality and empathy to social care students, hoping always to keep those involved in social care curious, empathetic and engaged.
Trustees wanted
We are looking for more Trustees to join us.
You will be passionate about supporting families, you may have experience of foster care, kinship care or the everyday challenges that all families encounter.
You will be comfortable taking responsibility, able to handle differences and difficult conversations with tact and skill.
You will be the sort of person that others listen to, because they want to hear more, not because you talk a lot.
Email if you are interested to know more: stuart@familysupport.group.