Need for foster carers

Marlborough families of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to sign up as foster parents for children in unsafe homes.

Blenheim mum Aimee North was 23 when she and her husband opened their home to foster children.

In the seven years since they had taken in many children through the Open Home Foundation, ranging from emergency short-term care to long-term placements.

‘‘[The] longest term was 18 months with an awesome teenage girl who is now 22 and still comes over for dinner from time to time,’’ she said.

‘‘I never thought I’d have a 22-year-old daughter essentially . . . she’s really just like a longterm part of the family.’’

North’s family had changed over time, and she now had three daughters of her own, but found foster parenting particularly rewarding.

‘‘It’s not just parenting, it’s that next level,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s so rewarding when you know you can make a change in a young person’s life, even if it’s just for a short time.’’

‘‘We’ve had a lot of connections with other children and some you meet down the track. It’s so cool when they remember [you] . . . you don’t realise what an impression you’ve left.’’

The Open Home Foundation is a Christian community response to the need for foster carers in New Zealand.

Regional manager Anne Wilson said the service was looking for families of faith ‘‘of all shapes,’’ but said young couples were often wonderful for teenagers.

Families or individuals who were not of faith could also get in touch, and be directed towards other services.

‘‘The reality is that there are probably children in Marlborough that are in a home that probably isn’t the best for them, either because it’s unsafe or because their needs are not being met,’’ Wilson said.

‘‘Not having foster parents means that children remain in situations that are not good for them.’’

While there had not necessarily been an increase in needy children, there was definitely fewer people eager to be foster parents than ever before.

There were a variety of barriers to taking the plunge, such as busy jobs, house or car size, or other children. Wilson encouraged people not to let it hold them back.

‘‘Talk to us, because maybe there are some ways around that,’’ she said.

Open home foundation recruiter Steven Dunne said Marlborough had been ‘‘particularly needy’’ for a number of years.

And the increase of domestic violence and financial pressures on families due to the pandemic could exacerbate this need.

‘‘Bubbles are a nice word, but sometimes there can be trouble in your bubble,’’ he said.

‘‘Inevitably, people being cooped up with each other puts pressure on all kinds of relationships within that bubble. With job losses, it puts pressure on us all.’’

‘‘It’s inevitable that there will be an increase in certain aspects of domestic violence, and the need to keep vulnerable children safe.’’

Becoming a foster parent could be a way for people of faith to practise religion in the absence of normal church services.