South Lanarkshire couple encourage others to give teenagers a chance be becoming foster parents

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A South Lanarkshire couple are encouraging others to give teenagers a chance by becoming a foster family. Susan Leith, 65, and her husband Brian, 60, started their fostering journey back in the 1990s with their local county council and took in a four-year-old boy while they were both working in the services.Shortly after, they were posted to Cyprus.

They had to press pause on their fostering journey until they were retired, and decided to take it up again once they were settled in their forever home.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android When Susan and her husband fostered the first young boy, they saw just how powerful love, care, and attention can be for a child.She said: “I had raised three happy and smiling children so when this little four-year-old walked into our home with no sense of happiness or knowing how to play, I was shocked.“But in just nine months, he had a total turnaround.

The first time he laughed, the first time he smiled, it was a joy!”That first experience of making a difference to a child’s life stayed with them for years and when the couple moved back to the UK in 2014, they immediately wanted to pick up fostering again.Susan said: “I arrived one day and the following day I made a call to FCA Scotland.