Beyond Paradise's Martha learns important lesson in emotional fostering story

But when that option proved to be unsuccessful, they eventually decided to explore fostering.

They'd already had some practice with a young boy called Ryan, who was having some problems at home.

But he has since returned to his mum, which means Humphrey and Martha were ready to open their home to Jaiden.

The teenager, who arrived shortly before Christmas, was greeted by the pair, who were very excited, if nervous, to have him with them.

But despite their warm welcome, he only removed his headphones to ask for the WiFi password, before placing them firmly back on his head.

"He's a lovely kid," said Hannah the social worker. "He might just take a while to warm up."

And she wasn't kidding.

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Humphrey was needed at work the next day, but Martha had left the café in capable hands so that she could bond with Jaiden, or at least attempt to.

Despite suggesting bowling and the cinema, all he wanted to do was stay in his room, prompting a frustrated and downbeat Martha to call the social worker for some advice.

"Moving into a new placement is a very stressful time for these kids," said Hannah. "They didn't ask to be put into care, and because of that, they feel like they have no control."

"So just leave him to do his own thing?" asked Martha.

"You're doing exactly the right thing," she said. "It's baby steps until he gets to trust you.

"For the first few days, they don't want to say anything that might get them into trouble or upset their carers in case they get sent somewhere else. Just trust your instinct."

However, Martha was still struggling with being iced out, so she took Jaiden into work in an effort to coax him out of his shell.

But that didn't work either, and a short time later, he disappeared, which sent Martha into a panic spiral as she sprinted all over town in an effort to find him.

Thankfully, he hadn't gone far.

Jaiden was parked on a bench down in the town, and as Martha approached, he appeared despondent.

"You must think I’m really rude, sitting on my own all the time, always on my phone," he said.

Martha assured him that she didn't, before encouraging him to open up to her and Humphrey.

"You don't have to keep these things to yourself, you know," she said. "I know it must be difficult. We can talk about it, it might help a bit."

And without forcing the issue further, Jaiden then felt able to confide in her about his younger brother Ben, who was living with another foster family due to them having different dads.

It was a huge breakthrough considering he had barely spoken a word to her since his arrival. And now that she had that crucial insight, Martha felt able to ease off, leaving him to call his brother, which completely shifted his mood.

When Humphrey arrived home that evening, the scene couldn't have been more different.

Martha, her mum Barbara and Jaiden were enjoying a game of charades with Ben via video link as the fire roared and Christmas lights twinkled.

"Piece of cake," said Martha when Humphrey enquired about the rest of their day.

"What's the secret?” he quizzed.

"Oh, I'm not sure there is one," she laughed.

Getting to this point certainly wasn't easy, and there will undoubtedly be more challenges to come, but after a rocky start, Martha's on the right track.

Beyond Paradise season 2 arrives in 2025.

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