When one of Keith’s children needs to go home early from rugby, someone else at Ammanford RFC steps in to cover for him.
The coach says that is typical of a club that has taken the children he fosters to its heart, and helped them thrive.
Keith and his partner Becky have fostered for 17 years in Carmarthenshire. Together they have fostered and adopted, and Becky also mentors other foster carers.
It was not his idea. “Fostering was something I’d never thought about,” said Keith, who was born in Llanelli.
He went on: “I got together with my partner Becky, and it was something that she wanted to do.” The couple have been together for more than 20 years.
‘They’re not troublemakers’
What he ran into was other people’s assumptions. “There used to be a stigma attached to foster kids, that they’re always troublemakers,” he said, “and I kind of paved the way and said, ‘no, it’s not like that’.”
He added: “Every child that comes in is special and they should be treated the same.”
All the children are into sport, playing rugby, football or both, and Keith said they “have really been embraced by the club, which helps them thrive and bond with others”.
He gets plenty of backing from fellow coaches and parents in Ammanford. “It’s like one big family here,” he said.
‘It is your life’
Keith is plain about what fostering asks of a family.
He said: “I just want people to understand the backbone of fostering and the dedication that it takes because it’s a big part of your life. I mean, it is your life.”
His advice to anyone wondering about it is short: “If you’ve got time and you want to help other children, do it. Just do it.”
Of the children, he said: “A lot of children you help them open their wings to do amazing things.”
Cllr Jane Tremlett, Carmarthenshire County Council’s cabinet member for adult social services and children and families, said the support the couple give “extends far beyond their home”.
She said: “Through fostering and Keith’s involvement in local rugby, they are helping children develop confidence, build positive relationships and feel connected to their community.”
Foster Wales Carmarthenshire, the council’s fostering service, has a partnership with the Scarlets and is regularly at home games at Parc y Scarlets to talk to people thinking about fostering.
Anyone who wants to know more can contact Foster Wales Carmarthenshire.
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