Fostering appeal Couple call for more to help young people
ACOUPLE is urging people to consider fostering as the number of children entering the care system rises.
It comes as a record number of 18-year-olds are set to leave home for university this autumn, leaving thousands of families with space in their homes.
Recent data shows that more than 31,000 students from across the South West are going to university this year.
This means it would take just over two per cent of parents who have children moving out for university to meet the current shortfall of the 720 foster homes currently needed across the region.
Sharon and Ken Sheather, from Leckdaughters hampton, first considered fostering when their two daughters moved out and started families of their own.
The couple have now been fostering for over a year with Five Rivers Child Care.
Sharon, 69, said: “Our daughters have both long moved out and have started families of their own.
“They’re sadly not local to us, living in Greater Manchester and Northamptonshire, so we’re not in their day-today lives or close enough to be able to help out with regular childcare for our grandchildren.
“Having a house with empty rooms and no one to fill them felt decidedly quiet. Growing up, I was the eldest of six children, with so many brothers and sisters, I’m used to a busy household and that has continued over the last 20 years with raising our two
and having hosted foreign students and teachers at our home.
“It wasn’t until I heard an interview on the radio with a Five Rivers Child Care foster carer talking about her positive fostering experience, that I realised fostering could be a good opportunity for us, and something we might have the skills and space to dedicate to.”
She added: “It was when I was a career coach I found myself in contact with young people who weren’t in fulltime education or didn’t have access to training and or a support network around them. I realised how desperate things were for some young people and how quickly life could spiral downwards for those in certain situations.
“I found it to be really rewarding work to be able to support these young people. I wanted to continue this in some way and fostering is the perfect extension on that.”
Sharon and Ken now offer a specialist type of fostering with Five Rivers Child Care, called Solution 28.
This is a temporary foster care provision for children entering the care system, where they are placed with a specially trained foster carer for around 28 days, while they are matched with a suitable longer-term foster home.
Speaking about this specialist type of fostering, Sharon said: “The majority of the children who come to us have just left their family homes. They may have only just come into care and we’re their first experience of foster care.
“We’re on standby to foster a child or young person with very little notice, because it’s the emergency care or home that most of these young people need in the short-term while figuring out what the best next steps and solutions are for each individual.
For some young people, their next steps might be to move onto independent living, and if that’s the case, we use their time with us to help them develop the skills they will need - how to make a range of different meals, budgeting, and being responsible for washing their clothes and cleaning their own space.
“Knowing that they will only be with us for a short time, we do our best to make them feel they’re in a safe place, that they can trust us, and that for however long they’re with us, they’re part of our family. We want to make a positive impact to their lives.”
Ken, 74, continues: “We have a routine with every child who lives with us, and it starts with the offer to help us make bread, something we regularly do in our house. By suggesting this activity, it helps us get to know them and understand their boundaries.”
He admits that working with children and young people was a new challenge for him. However, he says that he benefitted from the support and training that Five Rivers Child Care provided.
Ken explained: “I’ve been so impressed with the training from Five Rivers. Both the training and the support we get from our supervising social workers has been fantastic. I feel really well equipped to handle whatever situation is thrown at us.”
The couple hope to continue fostering children and young people for as long as they can.
Sharon said: “We feel we’ve only just started our fostering journey so we’re looking forward to continuing it for some time yet.”
Adrian Chappell, Fostering Service Manager for Five Rivers Child Care in Gloucestershire, said: “Fostering can be a fulfilling path for anyone who is able to offer a safe and loving space in their home, and Sharon and Ken have demonstrated just that.
“As part of our Solution 28 programme, we’re looking for people to foster a child or young person for a minimum of 28 days at a time.
“Foster carers as part of this specialist type of fostering can foster on a retained or non-retained basis.
“For parents who have children either moving out or have already left the family home, we’re keen to hear from those with space in their homes and hearts, who are nurturing, compassionate and enjoy supporting others.”
We feel we’ve only just started our fostering journey so we’re looking forward to continuing it for some time yet.
Sharon Sheather