Foster appealAn urgent appeal for foster parents in north Dublin city and county has been issued this week due to a serious shortage of foster homes in the area.
Last year there were about 600 children in foster care in the area but more foster care places are needed. Some 4,500 children are currently in the care of 2,000 foster homes throughout the State, according to the Irish Foster Care Association, which says there is an urgent need for foster carers throughout the country.
The greatest need is for children aged between six and 12, according to the Northern Area Health Board (NAHB) which issued the appeal yesterday. It has 34 children under the age of 12 in care at the moment in need of foster homes. There is also a need for homes for older children who have experienced periods of homelessness and for children who have been received into care in emergency circumstances. In some instances, the health board is just looking for friendship families, who can provide weekend breaks or overnight stays to children in care to give them the experience of family interaction.
Almost 350 children were received into care by the NAHB last year. Some 34 per cent of those admissions were due to parental addiction problems; 14 per cent were taken into care due to neglect; and a further 14 per cent due to physical abuse. Child abandonment, difficulties in child-parent relationship, parental physical or psychiatric illness, parental homelessness or disability are other reasons why a child can end up in foster care. Five children out of 100 children surveyed last year were put into foster care because of sexual abuse.
Foster care offers alternative family care to children whose parents cannot provide this for them, according to Mary Meyler, senior social work practitioner with the NAHB. Children are given a second chance to experience family living, are helped to come to terms with what led to them coming into care and are assisted in keeping in touch with their birth families, she explained.
The number of children coming into care increase by about 30 every year in the NAHB area. However, it is the economic pressures of modern life that has forced both members of a household to become earners, which has led to a shortage of foster carers, according to Lorna Kavanagh, fostering team leader with the NAHB.
However, the perception that a foster-carer has to be married, young and working in the home is not correct. The NAHB is happy to accept applications from couples, whether married or not, from single people or those who are divorced or separated. Foster parents do not need to have children, they can be employed or unemployed and may or may not own their own home.
"What we need is commitment to help a child reach his or her full potential. We are looking for people with a genuine interest in child welfare and who feel they can make a difference. They need to be flexible and able to respond to the needs of a child," Ms Kavanagh said.
Foster care can last for a few days or until the young person reaches the age of 18. Some might need foster care only on weekends or holidays; others might need either long-term or emergency short-term care.
The rewards for foster parents are great, according to Ms Kavanagh. "Foster parents find the work hugely fulfilling and their own children get a lot out of it too. We have people fostering for over 20 years now. It is hard work but the returns, such as seeing a child settling in and overcoming their fears, are rewarding."
Foster parents are given training as well as the back-up help of a social worker and a foster care support group. All foster carers receive a maintenance allowance of 289.50 per week for a child under 12 years and 316.50 for a child aged from 12 to 18 years. Foster carers are entitled to claim child benefit for each child in their care. Each child is provided with a medical card and standard childcare equipment such as prams, cots or buggies are provided.
People who may be interested in fostering can call freephone 1800 454500 until Friday, May 14th.