It isn't always easy being a foster carer, but for Teresa* it's worth doing it to give kids some love.
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Teresa has been a foster carer in Dubbo for nine years.
"I used to work in aged care for about two or three years and I decided that I wanted to do something different, so I decided to try and help young kids find a stable home. That's something I've always wanted to do," she said.
Teresa raised four children under four on her own, and she wants other children to have somewhere stable to live. One of the children currently in her care she's looked after since she was six-months-old. She's about to turn six.
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"A lot of the [foster] kids have been through a lot of trauma and they need to be shown the love that you can hopefully give them when they come into your home and treat them as one of your own," she said.
"A lot of kids out there need to be shown the love."
It's been challenging at times for the carer.
Last week was the seventh anniversary of a child in her care who died. Due to his medical issues, he didn't make it to his first birthday.
"I still have my moments, I get teary-eyed," Teresa said.
But despite all the challenges, she said she was happy with what she does. Some of the children she has cared for still keep in touch.
Teresa said one of the best parts about being a carer was getting to meet the children's biological parents and getting along with them.
Despite its ups and downs, Teresa would love to see more people become foster carers.
"It would be good because I know there are kids out there that go from house to house and there should be more people like myself that give them permanency and show them love, so that they can be treated like their own," she said.
"At the end of the day they need some love."
Teresa is a foster carer through Uniting. Learn about becoming a foster carer with Uniting here.
*The name of the foster carer has been changed to protect the identity of the children in their care.