A former foster child is calling on others in Newham to help change a young person's future.
Imran Quayes, 25, from Manor Park, entered foster care at the age of nine and is now encouraging others to consider becoming foster carers.
The professional photographer and videographer said he chose to enter care for his own safety and believes it set him on a better path.
Imran said: "One thing about my story is I chose to go into foster care. I realised I wasn’t in an environment that was safe and I needed to escape.
"I would have ended up down a very different path. I don’t think it would be a very positive path if I hadn’t gone into foster care, if I hadn’t had the support, and care and affection from my foster carers and the belief to be better than just a statistic you see in a newspaper."
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He believes fostering has the power to transform lives.
Imran said: "Be empathetic and kind. Kids need kindness because you never know, one sentence or one action could massively impact and change their life.
"If they have even one positive influence on their life, by just giving them support, a shoulder to cry on, self-belief and confidence, they can do whatever they want in life – and the rest is history."
He left care in March but still feels supported by Newham Council.
"I still have great relationships with many of the members of the leaving care team. In terms of employment as well, I’ve been doing a lot of regular events with Newham Council as their event photographer so that’s been massive for my career."
He was the first child placed with his foster carers, and saw them grow into the role.
Imran added: "They even won an award for it. You have the excellent leaving care staff.
"There’s a lot of passion that goes into looking after these kids, because that’s what you need, you need kindness and passion and empathy, so I think that’s the key thing that stands out for me."
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