It's national Fostercare Fortnight and one foster mum from Manchester who became a foster carer two years ago, says her only regret is that she didn't do it twenty years ago.
Sandra aged 49 from Openshaw said: "I had my own two children very young and had always wanted a bigger family, but after my son was born profoundly deaf, we decided not to have any more and to concentrate on the two we had and doing our best for them.
"I think fostering was always at the back of my mind though, and when I told my family two years ago that I was going to do it, one of them said to me, 'I can't believe you're going to do it at last, you've been talking about it since I was little.' And they were right - on and off over the years, fostering was something that I did keep thinking about but never actually got round to doing."
Sandra had worked behind a desk doing admin work for around 25 years before deciding that she'd finally had enough of doing the same old routine job every day.
So she contacted Children's Services, discovered there was nothing to stop her becoming a foster carer, and went through the training and approval process.
A few months after deciding to take the plunge, Sandra found herself welcoming her first foster children into her home.
She said: "We never had much when I was growing up. My dad had died when I was eight, leaving my mum to bring up four children on her own. She'd work two jobs just to make ends meet. It was really hard on her and on all of us.
"Because of this I always wanted things to be better for my own children and for others."
Two years on, she says deciding finally to become a foster carer was the best decision she has ever made.
"When I first told them, my grown up children were a bit worried about me becoming a foster carer - not because they didn't think I could do it, they told me I'd be great at it - but because they thought that after working hard for twenty five years at my old job, I deserved a break.
"But I definitely wasn't ready to put my feet up. I wanted a new challenge and thought I still had more to give. And to be honest, becoming a foster carer has taken years off me.
"I do far more now than I did before - going out and about with the children, swimming, and generally keeping fit. I feel great and get so much satisfaction out of what I do."
As well as being a full time foster mum and grandmother of four, she is also chief dog walker of two lively Jack Russell dogs who joined the family last year. The dogs are brothers and were going to be split up, but Sandra couldn't bear the thought of that so decided to have both of them.
"Before I became a foster carer life was pretty quiet in the week when I was working. It's very different now and I wouldn't want it any other way.
"I would say to anyone who is thinking even just a little bit about fostering, don't just think about it, do it. There are children out there who are literally crying out for someone nice to look after them.
"I can't believe I spent 25 years doing a desk job that was OK but a bit dull, when I could have been doing this - a job I really love and that can really make a big difference to children."
If you want to make a difference and find out more about fostering visit youcanfoster.org or call 0800 634 7052