AS DEMAND for foster carers in Oxfordshire continues to rise, one selfless couple are celebrating 40 years looking after some of the county's most vulnerable children.

Pensioners Rosalie and Rod James from Abingdon say they have lost count of the number of children they have cared for over the decades, though they estimate it is comfortably in the hundreds.

And the couple, both 77, are still going strong in the role, with three children currently in their care.

Mrs James said: “Last year we had 17 children, and of course, some only stay for a very short time. The youngest child we had was five-days-old and the oldest was almost 18, so we’ve looked after all ages, often three children at a time.

“To begin with, we looked after a number of children in the family at different times and for different reasons, and thought we might as well do it properly and signed up with the council as foster carers. It’s just carried on from there.”

When Mr and Mrs James married, Mrs James worked as a clerk for Barclays Bank – but on looking after children from London, they decided they ‘wanted to do it properly’ and starting fostering.

Mr James, a retired gardener, added: “Children are often lacking confidence when they first come to you, so it’s really rewarding when they become more comfortable and you find out that they’re really smart and have a lot more about them than you could have imagined.”

The couple also have three children of their own: Michelle, who is 54, Christopher, who is 52 and Beverley, who is 48.

They adopted Karina James, now 43, after they fostered her when she was eight. They adopted her just before she turned 18.

Ms James, who runs her own gardening company in Birmingham, said: “I went to live with them when I was eight. Previously I was living in a children’s home in London. My mother had struggled with mental health issues and I had been made a ward of court.

"It was decided that I would be better off in care. That was raised a possibility and that is how I went to stay with them.”

Karina has made her own life and lives with partner Richard and son, Owen, who is nine.

She added: “You do look back and think: ‘gosh, what would have happened had I grown up in London?’ It’s difficult to tell. I’m quite a sensible, well-adjusted person but I always feel incredibly grateful and lucky.”

Mr and Mrs James held a celebratory bash at Abingdon’s Northcourt Centre last week, surrounded by family, friends and council colleagues.

Most touching of all, though, was the presence of several ex-foster children who have kept in touch with their former carers well into their adult lives.

Steve Harrod, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for children and family services said: “Rosalie and Rod are an absolute credit to this county and theirs is a truly magnificent achievement.

“There can’t be many people in Oxfordshire or anywhere else who know more about looking after children, or meeting the needs of young people in care who have often lived through traumatic experiences.”

The couple’s longevity as foster carers has certainly given them a rare perspective, and through Mrs James' involvement as a foster carer co-ordinator they have also been able to pass on their knowledge and skills to countless other carers, offering valuable support to new colleagues coming into the role for the first time.

Fostering service manager Teresa Rogers said: “Rosalie and Rod are so well known and well-liked by everyone who has had the pleasure to work with them over the years, they have almost become celebrities within the service.

"When they eventually decide to call it a day – I hope not just yet – it will leave a big hole, but their legacy will be huge, both in terms of their contribution to the role of fostering itself and the immeasurable difference they have made to so many young lives.”

There are about 700 looked-after children in the council’s care and most of them will need a foster placement at some point.

At the end of September there were 487 Oxfordshire children in a foster placement, but there were only 320 fostering families registered.

Oxfordshire County Council said there is a 'rising demand' for foster families, and its team wants attract more local foster carers, particularly carers willing to look after brothers and sisters, teenagers and children with special needs.