Izzy and Lola’s Story: Finding Safety, Stability and a Sense of Home

When sisters Izzy and Lola arrived in long-term foster care, they hoped it would only be temporary. Over time, Julie’s calm, consistent care helped them feel safe enough to settle, grow and call it home.

Izzy and Lola were seven and nine when they came to live with Julie, a single foster carer, after spending two months in emergency foster care. From the beginning, this was a move shaped by uncertainty. The girls were not looking for a new home; they were hoping to return to the life they already knew.

They arrived quietly, unpacking their belongings alongside their emergency carers. Although the plan had been explained to them, it was not something they had chosen. Like many children entering foster care, they were carrying mixed emotions: sadness, uncertainty and hope that things might still change. Over the next four months, the courts and professionals involved decided that the safest long-term plan was for the girls to remain with Julie until adulthood. It was a difficult decision for them to absorb, even if part of them understood why it had been made.

Julie met that uncertainty with patience, warmth and steadiness. Having previously cared for another child who had struggled with not living at home, she understood that the girls’ feelings would be complicated. She did not ask them to choose between their past and their present. Instead, she made space for both. She supported family time as agreed with social workers, helped the girls stay connected to their mum and wider family, and understood that keeping those relationships visible mattered. Whether that meant making cards, buying gifts or putting photographs on the bedroom wall, Julie respected the parts of their lif story.

The care Julie offered was not dramatic. It was found in the consistency of everyday life: school runs, meals, routines, listening, showing up and asking for nothing in return. Over time, those ordinary acts began to build trust.

Julie told the girls that she loved having them as part of the household and that she would care for them for as long as they needed her. Bit by bit, the emotional conflict they had been carrying became easier to manage. They began to learn that feeling happy and settled with Julie did not mean they loved their mum any less. That understanding created space for them to relax, be children and invest in the life unfolding around them.

As the months passed, the household became a different kind of family: one built through fostering, but no less real for that. Julie got to know both girls deeply, learned what worried them, what made them laugh and what they needed to feel secure. She advocated for them in meetings with schools and social workers, kept life predictable at home and made sure they knew their voices mattered.

There was room for joy, too. The girls spent time drawing and making things, bounced on the trampoline in the garden and began to enjoy days out as part of family life. Julie included them in plans, whether that meant bike rides, visits to the seaside or trips to the farm. Her adult daughter was often part of those moments as well, helping to create a wider sense of family and connection around them.

Throughout this time, both girls were encouraged to speak openly in meetings with their social worker and to say how they felt. They used that space well. Gradually, their language began to change. What had once been Julie’s house started to become home.

Today, Izzy and Lola appear comfortable, confident and secure. They talk openly about their feelings, describe life with Julie as fun and say that home feels safe. They know they can rely on her. That sense of security has given them the foundation to look ahead, make plans and imagine a future that feels stable.

Two years on, the girls have their own bedrooms, full school lives and growing independence. They take part in clubs and sport, have formed new friendships and are enjoying the opportunities that come with feeling settled. Lola is working towards her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and Julie speaks with warmth about how much she loves caring for them both. For this family, fostering has not removed the complexity of the girls’ story, but it has given them something life-changing: safety, stability and the chance to thrive.