RUTH Ezzy was adopted as a young child, and as an adult wanted to repay that love.

So the early childhood teacher became a long-term carer and is now looking after two young sisters.

“My adoptive mother inspired me that if she could love someone else’s child then I could too,” the western Sydney local said.

“I’ve grown up in a family of seven and I did not once ever feel that my older siblings were treated better than me because they were her own.''

“She inspired me to do this because if she could do it then I can do it and you can do it,” she said.

There are about 18,000 children in out of home care in NSW.

“Whether you’re single or in any kind of a relationship, whether you’re working part-time, full-time or your hours are demanding — you can still prosper and foster,” Ms Ezzy said.

“There’s so much support out there by the agencies to give you that training and there is so much help out there to help you foster a child.

“There is an opportunity for a child to be loved and be given what they haven’t been given before in their previous home.

“I’m hoping that ... people will take a look at their own lives and hopefully care for a child in need.”

Foster and Kinship Care Week starts tomorrow and is the perfect time to step forward and make a difference.

There are 1250 carers registered with Life Without Barriers, with its NSW Director Roderick Best calling on those thinking about fostering to do it.

“We believe ensuring the welfare of children in our communities is everybody’s business,” Mr Best said.

“And I urge anyone who truly wants to work with us to help a child succeed in life, who has the time and energy to support a child or young person to contact us to find out of fostering is right for you.”

“There are many more children and young people who deserve the same level of safety and stability that most of us take for granted,” he said.

Kieren Biggs was in foster care from 12 to 18 years of age. The 24-year-old now works full time at a plumbing supply company and wants to build a house and raise a family.

He said his carer set him up with the life skills to navigate the world.

“There is definitely a stigma around foster care and a lot of people think it’s a bad upbringing but that wasn’t my experience,” Mr Biggs said.

“For me, it swapped my life around — I had a bad upbringing in a terrible, negative environment and going into foster care I was placed in a positive environment.”

He would like to become a carer too.

“I’ve already spoken to my current partner about that being something that I’d want to do and she’s on board with it,” he said.

Contact: carers@lwb.org.au or 1300 592 227 or find out more at lwb.org.au/fostercare