Many of us feel like we don’t have our lives together in our 20s.
But this wasn’t the case Trevor Elliot MBE, who fostered three teenage boys despite his age.
Initially, some doubted the 25-year-old would be able to care for the teens.
Trevor was met with major setbacks from local authorities and initially turned down due to his age and lack of experience in care.
But as the youth care worker had been passionate about helping children since he was 18-years-old, he refused to let this hold him back.
He told MyLondon: “It’s a stereotypical perception. Does a 25-year-old really want to sacrifice his personal life? What if he wants a girlfriend or a boyfriend? What happens if he wants to go partying? He’s never had children on his own, so why would he want to care for children?”
(Image: Trevor Elliott/ My London)
Trevor added: “I understand this but I don’t think that should stop me.”
He was also influenced by a family friend who fosters children on remand – normally those who have been involved with crime or gangs.
He said: “We had really positive conversations [in the youth clubs] and do really positive work with young people, but they would go home and almost all the work we’d do would reset as soon as they returned back to their environment.
“I had a property at the time and I had a spare room, I thought I’d love to care for children.”
The council eventually came through and gave Trevor a chance – and he hasn’t looked back since.
To date, he’s fostered three boys aged 14-15 years who are now reaching the end of their teenage years.
Trevor quit his job in property and invested in child care full-time creating Kennedy Elliot back in 2018.
He was awarded with an MBE last October for all his hard work, which was presented to him by Princess Anne at St James Palace.
Trevor recalled: “That was a surreal experience, it’s not something I can put into words. It was a privilege for my family and me.
“It just made me feel like all the work I’ve been doing was worth it because if the Queen is able to acknowledge what I’m doing is great, then it makes you feel like there’s a reason for it.”
Seeing as Trevor will probably be waving goodbye to his current foster children soon, he is keen to foster more children that are possibly of a younger age.
He added: “I think I will always foster. I just want to help, as long I’m helping with children’s homes, fostering or youth work – whatever it may be. As long as I’m helping, I’d want to continue.”
Head online to Kennedy Elliott to find out more about Trevor’s work with vulnerable young people.