Smith says of the young people she takes in: "A lot of them have had a really bad start and don't have any role models. I knew that with my parenting experience I could help. I'd also had problems of my own as a teenager and the raw emotions that I can still remember from that time are almost like a resource for me now."
Meanwhile, foster carer Jim Bond works with teenage boys through a specific initiative. His charges tend to be at the more challenging end of the behaviour spectrum. "I've spent long hours in police stations and in meetings at schools," he says. "But I really enjoy it. Much as I think babies are lovely, I'd far rather deal with snotty teenagers."
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