A mother who cared for 20 foster children in a decade has featured on national TV to promote the importance of supporting young people from troubled back grounds.

Debbie Seddon, 51, from Sanderstead and her partner Dave came to fostering after a friend of one of her biological children found themselves in need of a home more than 10 years ago - they now regularly care for children aged between 12 and 18 for up to four years.

Her dedication has been recognised by Croydon Council who put her forward to appear on ITV’s Daybreak as part of Foster Care Fortnight.

She said: "I’m very passionate about fostering so it wasn’t difficult for me to talk about.

"I wanted to raise awareness about fostering services and help encourage people to take on the challenge."

With two biological children, aged 24 and 20, the primary school worker admitted it is hard to say goodbye to all her charges.

She said: "They’ve never really gone; we still chat and they come up at Christmas.

"It’s like I have an extended family. I’m a foster granny now, to the children who have had kids of their own. I’m part of their lives."

The road hasn’t always been easy.

She has dealt with foster children who have broken into her home, and even smashed her windows.

She said: "Some have had anger issues or been on drugs, but I’ve seen them be able to change their lives around too. It has been difficult at times, but it is so rewarding."

As well as caring for many children at a time, Miss Seddon also finds time to write daily reports on each of her two current foster children, work at Kingsley Primary School and act as a mentor for people who have just started fostering.

She said: "I like to keep busy, and I mentor because it helps new carers to know there is someone there who can help them."

The experienced carer decided to appear on Daybreak on May 14 in order to highlight the dire need for foster carers in the UK.

Currently, it is estimated that an extra 9,000 carers will be required in 2012 alone.

For more information on how to get involved in foster care, visit www.croydon.gov.uk/fostering.