Vulnerable kids need your care more now than ever
Charity’s plea for foster families
Paisley kids’ charity Kibble has launched a heartfelt plea for foster carers as the coronavirus crisis is causing a surge in youngsters crying out for help.
Kibble has warned the virus pandemic is affecting children, especially their mental health, in coping with the implications of Covid-19.
The charity said a surge of vulnerable kids and young people are streaming into care as a result of trauma, financial turmoil and poor mental health.
In response to the rise in crisis kids, it has launched a foster care recruitment appeal to ensure safe, loving homes are made available.
Kibble is also concerned about a reduction in child protection reports, with vulnerable children social distancing and no longer at school, meaning they are not coming into contact with the professionals who would normally raise any concerns to the authorities.
The plea comes as the Scottish Government’s Independent Care Review highlighted that not only will vulnerable children be impacted by poverty on a practical level, but they may also experience the negative effects of such stresses from parents.
Neil McMillan, head of community services at Kibble, said: “What’s important to remember is that while everything else is on pause, children and young people still need to be cared for and what we’re expecting to see is an increase in the number of placements needed.
“Across the UK there is a constant need for new foster care families and this demand has only become more intense as one of a vast number of knock-on effects that the virus is likely to have.
“We’ve seen tremendous efforts across the UK with more than half a million people volunteering to support the NHS.
“What we hope is that as people start to think about how they can embrace their caring side after the pandemic, they consider opening their home to a young person in need.
“It takes a special kind of person to be a foster carer. Our carers come from various walks of life and we provide an incredible amount of support and training along the way, but the one thing they all have in common is the want and need to give a young person a chance at life.”
Kibble has set up a virtual system for the ongoing support it provides its foster carers as well as its recruitment and training processes, with secure lines set up to continue the provision of its Intensive Fostering Service (IFS).
The charity added the UK’s largest domestic abuse charity, Refuge, is reporting a huge increase in calls to its helpline with children and young people likely to be victims of such abuse.
For more information visit: https:// www.kibble.org/services/intensivefostering/
It takes a special kind of person to be a foster carer