Wanted - Foster families for children across the Borders

Tuesday, May 23 2006

Following the National Foster Care Fortnight campaign, Scottish Borders Council's Family Placement Team is looking to recruit foster families across the Borders who can offer full time, respite or short breaks care for young people.

Councillor Sandy Scott , Joint Portfolio Holder for Social Work Services, says:

Foster carers are valued members of the social work service to children and their families. Many of the children we are looking to find families for have lived in a number of homes and need committed carers that can offer security until they reach 16 and beyond. Other children need short breaks or respite care away from their usual surroundings.

There is no one type of person who makes a good foster carer - we welcome carers from a variety of backgrounds who can provide a safe, secure, stable and stimulating environment for these children and young people, many of whom have complex needs and may show challenging behaviour.

In the Borders we have approximately 82 children placed in temporary foster care, compared with 69 children two years ago. This increase means that it is vital that we continue to recruit new carers.

Foster care allows children to grow up in a safe and supportive environment and to keep in touch with their own family. Many of these children show challenging behaviour as a result of, for example, ADHD, learning difficulties or a history of relationship problems. Becoming a foster or respite carer requires special skills to balance the needs of the child, the needs of the parents and family life. If you have experience in caring for children and are interested in providing foster, short breaks or respite care, please contact the Family Placement Team on 01896 757230 to find out more.

Notes to Editors

1. If you would like to interview a short breaks carer or a young person who has been through the fostering system, please contact the Family Placement Team on 01896 757230.

2. Outlined below are three case profiles of young people who require placement with foster and respite carers in the Borders. These can be published and names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals concerned.

Case Profile 1 - Brian

Brian is a 10-year-old boy who needs a family where he can grow up. He cannot live with his own family but sees his mother regularly. He also needs to keep in touch with two older siblings. Brian is a bright inquisitive boy who takes an interest in all kinds of topics. He enjoys being outdoors and is used to country walks and fishing. Team sports and games are not a strong point, but he is very responsive on a one-to-one basis and where there is little competition. He is adept at constructing things, for example advanced Lego models. He enjoys school and shows good ability in most areas. He can be restless in the classroom and has to be kept on task. If he gets into trouble it will be because he gets involved in other children's arguments. He is also a boy who is trying to cope with problems. He worries about his family and has strong feelings about what has happened to him. Sometimes he can feel very angry. He has therapeutic help on a regular basis and this is doing much to help him understand his feelings and show more self-control. He has had to deal with a number of moves during his childhood and needs stability and security. Brian needs carers who can provide him with a great deal of affection and nurture. He greatly appreciates being looked after and enjoys adult relationships. At the same time his new carers will need to be patient and firm, with an ability to manage calmly his upsets and tempers. He is a challenging, but rewarding, boy to look after.

Case Profile 2 - Nancy

Nancy is a girl of small build, with blue eyes and medium brown hair. She has additional needs arising from Down's Syndrome. Nancy is a very sociable girl who is uninhibited in her approach to friends or strangers. She is a very active girl who tends not to sit still or attend to a task for any length of time. She loves to be constantly active, playing on her bicycle, football and doing sports like running and swimming. Nancy does make friends easily, but will also easily come into conflict with them if not getting her own way. If Nancy is anxious about a situation, she can appear very quiet and pensive, and her carers have observed her fidgeting with her hands, pulling her eyelids and twisting her eyebrows. Nancy needs a short breaks carer family who can not only provide her with the nurturing, care and security, but also firm and consistent boundaries and opportunities to extend her social development. Her parents require regular breaks from her care averaging a weekend a month with a week in the summer.

Case Profile 3 - John

John is a boisterous nine year old who has lived with the same carers for four years. His carers have two children of their own and although John is described as being a joy to care for, he demands the lion's share of his carers' time and attention. In order to maintain this placement and to ensure it is positive for John his carers and their children, John goes to stay with approved respite foster carers one weekend in six. This offers him, like most other children, an opportunity to spend time away from their home and for his carers to spend some uninterrupted time with their own children and to feel rested and restored for John's return.

Reference: News-14522, Contact the Author