Care Agency to recruit foster carers as four children await a home

There are currently four children in need of a foster home, the Care Agency has said ahead of a recruitment event on Monday urging people to open their hearts and home to a child.

Each of these four children need a home whether temporary, for a few months or even years, and the Care Agency has highlighted the difference that foster carers can make to their lives.

The Care Agency is also looking to recruit adoptive parents too.

Locally there are 50 looked after children, which means children under 18 years old currently being cared outside of their immediate family unit.

Of these, some 11 children are being looked after by a kinship carer, or non-immediate family member. 

Some 16 are being fostered by somebody outside of their family unit, and 23 are being looked after within a residential care setting, whether that be in Tangier View, or one of the Care Agency’s satellite flats. 

Four of these 23 children are awaiting a foster placement.

Fostering and Adoption Team Social Worker Robyn Shields underscored the importance of fostering and the positive difference that could be made to these children’s lives.

She described how the Care Agency continuously receives enquiries on fostering and this is open to local residents aged over 21 years old who have space in their homes.

Factors such as health, financial security, and a persons support network are taken into account when being vetted for fostering.

Ms Shields said fosterers must take part in a two stage process, the first stage is police vetting, a medical and an overseas check.

Stage two is a home study where Ms Shields would visit the potential foster carer in their home.

While there she would ask questions such as: “What were you like as a child? What was your family life like? What were your parents like? What are your relationships like? Are you in a partnership?”

“I'm finding everything I can about you,” she said.

She added this social work assessment will be assess the potential foster carers strengths and vulnerabilities.

“It's not a difficult process, but I'd say it's an intrusive process because you do open your heart and your home,” Ms Shields said.

She said that honesty is key during the assessment and social workers will also assess the persons support network.

The idea is to assess how a child would fit into this person’s life.

Foster carers complete a week-long training course to prepare them ahead of the child entering their lives.

“There's a high chance that you take a child on and it breaks down after a few days because you think, what have I got myself into?” Ms Shields said.

“The training helps you to understand behaviour. It helps you to see that children are behaving because they have a need.”

The course also explains attachment issues and prior to the placement contact time with the birth family is also discussed.

She added that the training aims to prepare foster parents as much as possible.

“Some children might not have a care plan for adoption,” she said.

“Their care plan might just be that they're with their foster family for now, but the plan is to rehabilitate them back to their family, and that's a success story.”

Fostering can be successful in many ways, Ms Shields said, but what’s most important is the child’s wellbeing.

The recruitment drive is crucial not just for the current need but also for future need.

“Last year we were really busy during the summer and we had loads of referrals for children who came into care, sadly,” she said.

“So we anticipate that.”

She said currently there are fewer foster parents than children in need of placement.

The hardest group to place are siblings and the Care Agency is hoping people can open their homes to more than one child.

“Even if you helped for two months or three months, what a change you're going to make in that time,” Ms Shields said.

She added a family could give a child somewhere that they belong, a place to do their homework, and somewhere to call home.

The foster carer recruitment drive will be held on Monday, February 10 at the Eliott Hotel from 5pm to 7pm. To book a place call the Care Agency on 200 78528 or email: fostering@careagency.gov.gi