Madi has profound and multiple disabilities and needs support with every aspect of her care. At five years old, she was one of the youngest children we had supported in a residential setting. Madi thrives from interaction and attention from staff; singing ‘Old MacDonald’ is a favourite, causing her to laugh hysterically and wave her arms in joy.

Being around animals also gives Madi great pleasure – she loves visits to the local donkey sanctuary and the local zoo is a great day out.

Madi had been with Inspire for a year when the home manager broached the subject of foster care with the social worker. The manager, Ann, felt that Madi would thrive in a family environment where she could have the devoted attention of a whole family and become part of a close unit. After in-depth discussion with the Local Authority it was decided that the matching process for a family would commence.

Inspire created a matching plan with all of the specifications a family would need to support Madi; one of the main criteria was to have a pet and good access to a zoo or local petting farm. Ann and her team became an integral part of the process; preparing Madi for foster care, meeting the prospective carers and working with them to ensure that they had the necessary skills to care for all aspects of Madi’s life.

After a 6-month transition Madi moved in with Jan, Dave and the pet pooch Oscar; she now lives there very happily, but still visits Inspire on a regular basis, often coming to stay for a short break!