Call for foster carers – new training course starting soon

A new training course for prospective foster carers will be starting soon. Aġenzija Appoġġ organises regular training in Malta and Gozo for interested applicants. This training is part of the support structure that the Agency offers to foster carers and is an integral part of the process that prospective foster carers are obliged to go through before they can be approved as foster carers. Training sessions cover the aims of fostering; who are the children needing a foster care family; understanding and responding to the traumatic experiences these children pass through; working with the birth family; how fostering challenges the foster care family and working with transitions foster care, among others.

Fostering aims at offering a family experience to those children who, for some reason or another cannot live with their birth parents. The situations which may lead to fostering include parents’

in death, familial crises, conflicts arising between parents, difficulties in parental capacity, illnesses, substance abuse, imprisonment of parents and child abuse that includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, or neglect.

Currently there are 178 foster carers and 214 children in foster care. Foster care placements vary from short- to long-term, kinship fostering, specialised fostering and also respite placements.

Those interested may contact the Fostering Team at Aġenzija Appoġġ on 2295 9000 for further information or visit the Agency’ website www.appogg.gov.mt. An application form can also be downloaded from the Agency’s website, and sent duly filled in to the Agency on the address provided. This course is free of charge. Child minding for children over five years is also available during the course.