'I've fostered over 100 children in Leeds - it's a really important job and we need more people to help'
Over the last 35 years, Marie Procter has helped to give more than 100 children a better start in life.
She is one of the city’s longest-serving foster carers and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Today she is calling on others to follow in her footsteps and sign up to support children by becoming a foster carer.
The 57-year-old is one of 381 foster carer households currently registered with Leeds City Council’s fostering service, Foster4Leeds, but more are urgently needed.
She said: “I don’t know how many children I’ve cared for over the years but I imagine it’s well over 100.
“I’ve never thought of doing anything else and wouldn’t change a thing. I hope I’m still doing it in ten years’ time.
“It’s a really important job. No matter what challenge they have, they’ve always got a safe, stable place to come back to.
“They might not always verbalise it the whole time – that they want to be here – but their actions show it. To see even the small changes is really rewarding – like wanting to eat together or saying goodnight – those simple things; and having somebody who understands them.”
The latest fostering annual report for 2024/25, published today, says there are currently 1,498 looked after children in the city .
Anyone over the age of 21 can be a foster carer and Foster4Leeds says you simply need a spare room and the time to give a child.
Applications are welcome from any ethnic background, religion or sexuality and employment status, marital status or home ownership are also not factors in determining suitability.
Marie was 23 when she first started fostering. For the first 18 years, she looked after children who were on remand awaiting outcomes from youth court before she then moved into more mainstream fostering.
While caring mainly for teenagers, one child who came to her as a five-year-old still lives with her now at the age of 21, along with three others aged 18, 19 and 13.
She said: “It’s given me a lovely life. I’ve had lots of opportunities and chances to meet and work with different people and try different things.
“I’d urge anyone considering it to take the next step.
“Once you see what it can bring to you, and what you can offer young people, it’s so worth it.”
Marie is also chair of the independent Leeds Foster Carer Association, which provides 24/7 support to foster carers, and is a hub home carer for a mockingbird hub – a network of local foster families who benefit from her guidance and support.
She said: “It’s been shocking for me to see the decline in people coming forward to be foster carers.
“Even if you think maybe there’s a reason you won’t be able to – that’s not always the case. There’s not just one type of fostering – there are lots of different types that can fit around your life.”
Coun Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families, said: “The challenges we face are not unique to Leeds and reflect a national crisis in foster carer shortages, but we remain totally committed to ensuring our most vulnerable children have a safe place to live and the chance to thrive.
“Our work is constantly evolving to actively address the demand and we are already seeing positive progress this year, with the numbers of expressions of interest higher for the first three months of 2025 than in any year post-Covid.
“Children do their best living in family settings and it is our ambition that all children living in fostering families do so within the city of Leeds.
“I’d urge anyone interested to get in touch to see how you could help. As Marie shares, this is a truly rewarding role which makes a clear difference to children’s lives and our service provides full support every step of the way.
“Thank you once again to all of our incredible foster and kinship carers who go above and beyond to provide that crucial consistency in care for the children they support.”
For more information on fostering in Leeds, please visit https://foster4.leeds.gov.uk/