It feels like home
My name’s Rory Davis, I’m eighteen and I’ve been in foster care for four years. I went into a children’s home in 2011.
It was hard because I knew there weren’t enough foster carers in Portsmouth. I think I got offered one in Brighton or somewhere, but I was born in Portsmouth, I was brought up in Portsmouth, I didn’t want to leave Portsmouth.
I remember my social worker coming round and she was like, ‘We may have a potential match for you,’ so I sort of sprung up and was like, ‘Oh, have you?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, I think you met them before - Damon and Barry.’ It didn’t feel real, because [before] she kept coming round and saying, ‘Oh no, there hasn’t been a placement this time.’
We went and met them and played pool. I think they were as nervous as I was, and in the end it was a really good night, a lot of laughs and that. I enjoyed myself, which I realised I hadn’t done in a while. I knew then that, yeah, this could be a placement. And I think it just felt natural, like when something clicks, you can feel it. And we rung them, and I tell you what, that was one of the weirdest phone calls I have ever made in my life. I was just like ‘Hi, it’s Rory, can I move in?’ And I didn’t get any response other than screams down the phone and them saying, ‘Yeah of course!’
Four or five days later I moved in. They made me put my hands out and close my eyes, and I was really nervous – I was like, ‘Oh my God, what is it?’ And they had given me a key to the house, and at that moment I thought, ‘Wow, this is now my house.’ We went out that night, and I remember getting out of the car and practically running to the front door and letting myself in! Its little things like that that make all the difference and make it feel like home.
We were chatting away and yeah, never once did it feel awkward, and I thought it would because, sort of, I’ve just moved in and there was no-one else, just the three of us. I really was excited by it, and I thought ‘Wow, this could be the beginning of my life changing.’
Damon and Barry being a same-sex couple never bothered me - it hasn’t made any difference. If the situation comes up where a young person is going to be fostered by a same-sex couple, I don’t think the same-sex part matters - if they meet the needs of the young person then I don’t see any reason why anyone should be worried or have a problem with it.”
