Interview: Jim Bond, chairman, The Fostering Network

He admits there are times when he's considered packing it in.

"Once or twice in the early hours of the morning when I've had someone self-harming for days on end, not getting much sleep and feeling unsupported, I've thought, 'this is enough'," he says. "Also, if you're standing in your house and a young person of 15 or 16, who is the same size as you, is wielding a hockey stick above his head shouting 'you're not my mother' at 4am in the morning, it can be a bit of a challenge."

Bond, a former teacher and youth worker, says he's driven by "an inner strength and resilience". But he warns that too often, foster carers are left unsupported with little training or reward for their work. It's an issue he wants to highlight ahead of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from 17 to 30 May.

"Foster carers have become the focus of the main provision for looked-after children," he explains. "So more of the young people with very challenging behaviour and specific needs are now being placed with foster carers."

This is a good thing, he says. But carers need training and support to meet that challenge in a professional way. "There must be a commitment from decision-makers to fund training," Bond adds. "We work in isolated circumstances, so we need feedback, advice, guidance and reassurance sometimes when things are going wrong."

That's not to say that carers want to be seen as professionals, he insists. What they really need, Bond says, is to be treated as equal members of the team around the child.

"There's always a danger when we talk about professionalising foster carers. We don't want to be seen as just providing a service, but we do want to be treated as fellow professionals within the childcare team."

Pay is a big issue for many foster carers, who do not receive a wage for the work they do. Bond believes improved pay would transform the lives of stressed out carers.

"Carers wouldn't have to worry about whether or not they're going to have the money to pay the mortgage or the rent, or the heating and lighting bills," he says.

Last month, research by the Association of Directors of Children's Services confirmed that demand on the care system is rising significantly. Foster carers are feeling the effect. "There are never enough placements to meet the needs and with the increased number of young people, those pressures have got greater," Bond says.

But he warns there are no short-term fixes, since it is impossible to recruit foster carers quickly. "It would be wrong to push people into caring just because there are gaps," he says.

"Too often placements break down because they're not matched properly to the skills of the carers. That causes more harm to the young person and the carers, who lose faith in the system."

Safeguarding concerns are also having a knock-on effect on carers. "We have to know when it's right to give a child a hug, without fear that things might go wrong. Otherwise we become automatons who provide bed and breakfast." The key is to train foster carers so they feel confident about their practice, he says.

"I have a 16-year-old young man I look after. There are times he is desperate for a hug and he gets one from me," Bond says. "He gives me his permission to do it. But I have to record all of this and be conscious of concerns people might have."

Despite the many challenges associated with looking after other people's children and working in an overburdened system, Bond is clear about what keeps him going.

"I often see young people come into my house walking slowly with their heads bowed, looking entirely fed up with the world," he explains. "Most of them leave with their head held high, looking up at people, giving them eye contact, smiling and being very positive. For me, that says it all."

Campaign: Foster Care Fortnight

• Foster Care Fortnight runs from 17 to 30 May 2010
• This year, the two weeks will focus on educating people about the skills a modern foster carer needs in their role as a childcare expert
• As of last week, more than 1,000 people signed up to support Together for Change, The Fostering Network's long-term campaign to empower foster carers to give children the best care possible
• It calls for foster carers to be recognised as part of the professional team around a child, to be offered regular access to learning and development opportunities and to be paid for the work they do.