Knowing you've made a difference is such a reward

But a major new campaign is aiming to change the general perception by urging people to consider fostering as a rewarding role which can help change lives.

Currently there are 53,000 children in the UK living with foster families, and for many it will be their first positive experience of family life, and a stable and secure home.

Foster carers offer children a home while their own family is unable to look after them. It is often a short-term arrangement and many fostered children return home. But there are those who don't have that option and can be looked after by foster carers for years at a time.

However, there is a shortage of 10,000 foster carers across Britain – 1,700 in Scotland. And while 15,000 youngsters are looked after by local authorities in Scotland, only 4,500 of those are in foster families.

Closer to home, Edinburgh needs at least 50 new foster carers this year. In East Lothian the demand is for at least 20 more – which includes respite foster carers as well as full-time, while Midlothian has had to send children to other authorities due to a shortage of carers.

Here, Lothian foster families talk about why they opened their homes to vulnerable children – any why they would recommend it to anyone.

CHARLIE and RAY STEWART

AS AN admin assistant with Edinburgh City Council's child and families department, 53-year-old Charlie, pictured below, is well placed to know how many young people can go off the rails if they don't have a stable family home.

Living in Port Seton, though, he and his wife Ray, 48, are foster carers with East Lothian Council's social work department. "We've been doing it for almost ten years and had around 30 children, some for a few days, others for a few years," he says cheerfully.

"It's brilliant. Hard work, but brilliant. We got involved because my wife's niece went into care and it wasn't perfect for her.We thought we could do this better, and we had the space.

"We had three children of our own as well, but that didn't put us off. So we had to have a home study, filled in loads of forms, were asked loads of questions about why we wanted to foster. They painted the worst case scenario to us of what could possibly happen, but we still felt it was something we really wanted to do.

"It's been great. The first girl we had was five years old, and she came to us because there were seven of them in a two-bedroom house, and she needed some space and some attention just for her. That was a nice and easy case to get us into the swing of things."

Charlie admits that looking after vulnerable children does mean "you go through every emotion". "Depending on how long they stay, the more attached you get," he says. "We had one young boy with attention deficit hyper activity disorder and he was on Ritalin, which just turned him into a zombie. He'd be high as a kite, then take his pill, and it was like he'd disappeared. We got involved in finding him new medication which kept him on an even keel all the time, and he was great. He's been back to see us a few times.

"And we did have one girl who found it hard to keep herself safe. But you do just have to treat them as though they were your own. So they would be grounded just like our own. It's all about letting them know there are boundaries. It makes them feel safe and therefore cared for."

This year has been their toughest time, though. "We had two 14-year-old girls and they both absconded one night. That was just awful, not knowing where they were or what they were doing. Texting and calling them and getting no response. One is now with another foster carer and the other is in a children's home, but we are hoping to get her back. She says she wants to come home to us, and I'm determined to help her. I believe we can make a difference. She just needs to know that someone does actually care about what she does."

Such stories can be off-putting to potential foster carers. But Charlie is adamant they shouldn't stop people signing up. "It's stressful at the time, but looking back, these things pale into insignificance when you look at the difference in the child by the time they leave. There's a huge amount of support from social work and other carers. It's a hugely positive experience."

TONY and DALE YOUNG

THE Youngs, pictured below right, are relative newbies at fostering as they've only been involved for four years.

The couple, who live in Danderhall and are part of Midlothian Council's fostering team, have looked after four children, three of them long-term.

Unlike the others, they waited until their children had left home before opening their house to vulnerable children.

Tony, 50, an industrial cleaner, says: "We used to have the shop in Newton Village and a young boy used to come in in the mornings and be crying because his mother had been out all night, so we would give him breakfast and take him to school. He was taken into foster care eventually so that was what got us thinking about it."

Dale, 52, adds: "We just really wanted to help children, to give them another chance. People don't think about it until something happens on your own doorstep and then you realise you can offer something, you can help."

It took about a year for all the checks and training to be completed before the Youngs were given their first foster charge, a 12-year-old girl.

"We were all eased in gradually really. She came for her tea a few times then had an overnight stay, it was all done very well," says Tony. "She stayed with us for a year. When she came she wasn't attending school at all, and when she left she was in full-time education. That was great."

Dale, a support worker with Ark Housing, adds: "You get to meet the real parents too, and part of the job does seem to be to try and help them as well. It's as if they don't always know how to parent properly, so you want to help them so that they can get their family back together."

The Youngs' two adult daughters live nearby with their families, including four grandchildren, so foster children immediately find themselves part of a large family – including the two dogs Meg and Jasper and Tony's pigeons.

"When you tell people you're a foster carer people automatically think the kids are bad," says Tony. "We've yet to meet a bad kid. They've maybe had some bad parenting, but all they need is routine and to feel cared for.

"Once they're here they are different children. It's as if they just need taken out of their situation, given a break and shown how life can be. We do ground them if necessary, and one told us he liked it when we did it."

"The second child we had was a boy who was with us a year too and he went home to his parents," says Dale. "We've got a 13-year-old boy at the moment who's also been with us a year and might stay longer. They leave us gradually as well, but one wee lad still comes back for visits. There's a real satisfaction in knowing you've done a good job. It's a great experience and very rewarding."

JAMES and LOUISE ANDERSON

THERE is nothing about the immaculate Ferryfield home of James and Louise Anderson to suggest that it's been a sanctuary for around 15 children over two decades.

Not a thing is out of place, the decor is unmarked by felt tip pen, and the only strange sound is their rather large cat thumping down the stairs.

"Yes, it's a lot quieter these days, we only have one girl with us and she's just turned 18," laughs 63-year-old James, a former TV rental shop manager. "But over the years there's normally been four children in the house – our own three, plus a foster child. And then as ours have grown up and moved out, we've had more foster children in their place. It's been a busy, busy time."

The pair first started to foster children 27 years ago after their eldest daughter asked if they could care for a friend who was living in a care home. Says James: "We looked into it, but by the time we had passed all the checks she had been moved into an unmarried mother's home, so we weren't able to help her."

"But we thought, let's just go on with it anyway," says Louise, 62, a part-time employee with M&S. "We have had so much out of it over the years, and we like to think the children have too. We have kept in touch with most of the children we've looked after. Most of them do say that their lives would not be as good if they hadn't been fostered."

Not that it's always been plain sailing. The Andersons have been long-term carers, looking after some children for up to seven years. As most have been aged 13-plus, teen angst has been unavoidable.

"There have been many more ups than downs though," stresses James. "We did have one girl who was extremely vulnerable and just went off with people she met. So we did have the police round a few times with her."

He adds: "I've probably met most headteachers in Edinburgh, because for some reason some of the kids seemed to swear at teachers, but never with us."

But what about discipline? "Well we just grounded them if they stepped out of line," says Louise.

Most of the children they've cared for have gone back to their parents eventually but are never forgotten. "We've told them all there's always a bed here for them," says James. "They become part of the family.

"We would recommend fostering to anyone who feels they can give a child a good, stable home. After all that's all they want."

JOINING THE RANKS OF CARERS

FOSTER carers can come from all sections of society, but different local authorities have different stipulations.

In Edinburgh you must be over the age of 21, but you can be single, married or part of a long-term relationship. You don't need to be a parent or employed.

Residential foster fees range from 149.12 per week per child for those aged 0-11, while from 12 to 18 years, payment is 186.41 per week. There are also allowances for clothing, pocket money and maintenance, which range from 2.37 to 125.77.

In Midlothian, applicants must reside in the county or within 20 miles of Dalkeith, and must be 25 or older (although not over 60 for new applicants). Carers can be married or have lived together for more than two years, and single sex couples are also eligible to foster.

The council will not place a child under five with smokers, while foster carers of children over the age of five are requested to offer a smoke-free home if possible.

Fees are 146.81 per child, per week from 0-11 years, and 183.23 for 12 to 17. Allowances also range from 72.48 per week to 144.98.

In East Lothian you can apply to become a foster carer when you are 21. Fees, which are based on an experience system, range from 122 to 300 per child, per week.

For more information on fostering call 0800 158 8000 or visit www.fostercaring.org