INSIDE: › What is foster care?: Frequently asked questions.

› Time to care: Local community creative support for Foster Care Fortnight.

› Sporting Success: Olympians with a fostering or adoption link.

› The Good doctor: Interview with consultant paediatrician Dr Omobolaji Wilson who is dedicated to improving. the health and wellbeing of looked after children.

› Elaine’s story: Her experience of fostering young people.

› 22 Things to do for foster care and beyond: LaDiva considers ways to raise awareness.

WE CAN ALL MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

FOSTER CAREMAY 17 - 23, 2012 Yinka Sunmonu Consultant Email: ys@cherishcommunications.com Special supplement › page 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30

Foster Care supplement| THE VOICE MAY 17-23, 201220

What is fostering?Fostering is a way of offer-

ing children and young people who need to be in care a stable family environment while their own parents are unable to look after them. On any one day, around 59,000 children live with 45,000 foster families.

The Fostering Network is estimates that 8,750 foster families (7,100 in England, 100 in Northern Ireland, 1000 in Scotland and 500 in Wales) are needed across the UK for 2012.

Why do children need fostering?

Foster carers look after children so families have the chance to sort out their prob-lems. These problems can range from a family member’s short-term illness to a parents depres-sion or drug or alcohol abuse. Many children have been abused or neglected.

Some children will need to be looked after for only a short time until they can return home, while others will stay with foster carers for the longer term or move elsewhere.

What does a foster carer do?Foster carers provide chil-

dren with their day-to-day care and much more. They may have to help these children come to terms with difficult or traumat-ic experiences. They will sup-port children in their education,

look after their health and pro-mote social wellbeing. The role is varied and challenging, and also includes attending meet-ings, keeping records, manag-ing behaviour and promoting contact with birth families.

Foster carers receive pre- and post-approval training and support to help them de-velop the skills needed to do this challenging and rewarding work.

Why foster?Foster carers play a key role

in transforming children’s lives. Fostering is not easy, but it of-fers the opportunity to make a huge difference to children and can be a very rewarding experience. People who want to foster need to care about children, have great communi-cation skills and be ready for a challenge.

Who can be a foster carer?Almost anyone can apply to

be a foster carer, but as with any job, some people will be more suited to it than others. Prospective foster carers need skills and experience that will enable them to meet the needs of vulnerable children and young people who are sepa-rated from their families.

Fostering services need to recruit a variety of foster car-ers to offer as much choice

as possible for children and young people. People can apply to foster regardless of marital status, sexuality or residential status. Foster carers come from a diverse range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which reflect the children and young people who are in care.

People who have ever been convicted of a sexual offence or a violent act towards a child are not able to become foster carers.

What is the difference be-tween fostering and adop-tion?

Fostering is usually a tempo-rary way of offering children a home until they can return to their family, although many live with foster carers for years, some for their whole child-hoods. Fostered children con-tinue to be legally part of their own family, even if there is limited contact with them.

(Reproduced with permission from the Fostering Network)

what is Fostercare?The Fostering Network, organiser of Foster Care Fortnight, has compiled a list of frequently asked questions for people interested in foster care.

USEFUL WEBSITES

IS FOSTERING FOR YOU?The Could you foster website contains useful information on foster care, explaining what it is, who needs it and how to apply.www.couldyoufoster.org.uk

Finding a foster care serviceThe Fostering.net website can link you to services in your local area Just type in your keywords, select provider type (local author-ity, Independent Fostering Provider or Health and Social Services Trust) and postcode. The search engine will do the rest.www.fostering .net

SOUND ADVICE

% FOSTERLINE The Fosterline advice service, run by the Fostering Network, is a one-stop shop for prospective and established foster carers. They deal with a range of issues including: applying to become a foster carer; changes in legislation; and financial matters.

To ask a question or obtain information, call 0800 040 7675 (calls are free from land-lines) or email fosterline@fostering.netThe service is open Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Fostering Fortnight 2012 - Change a child’s life foreverFoster carers look after other people’s children in their own home, either short or long term and your help can really make the difference to a child’s life. Fostering Fortnight runs from 14 – 27 May and this year’s campaign centres on the fact that a child comes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK with the Fostering Network estimating that 8,750 new foster families are needed in 2012 alone. These figures frighteningly show the need for new foster carers to help change the lives of local children.

There are many myths about foster carers such as they must be married or own a large house. Islington foster carers in fact come from many different cultures and backgrounds and may be couples or single people, with or without their own chil-dren living in owned or rented accommodation.

You don’t need qualifications but you do need to be good with children or young people, be able to keep them healthy and safe and to help them make good pro-gress at school. As well as the satisfaction of helping a child you will also receive generous financial allowances to help with their care and of course Islington foster carers get full training and 24-hour support.

Change a child’s life forever, foster with Islington

THIS IS SET FOR THE WIDTH OF A4 WITH 3mm BLEED AT THE SIDES AND BOTTOM. PLEASE USE THE CROP MARKS AS A GUIDE TO POSTIONING THE THREAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

0800 073 0428fostering@islington.gov.uk www.islington.gov.uk

Islington urgently needs foster carers to look after local children of all ages. A child comes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK and the Fostering Network estimates that 8,750 new foster families are needed in 2012 alone. Could you help make a difference to one of these young lives by becoming a foster carer?

To find out more about why not come along to an information session where you can talk to Islington foster carers and really get a feel for what fostering is all about.

Tuesday 29 May 6pm - 8pm

Islington Town Hall, Upper Street N1 2UD

If you can’t join us then please call about other upcoming dates.

To get the facts about fostering and find out about our next information sessions give us a call free on: 0800 073 0428. Alternatively visit: www.islington.gov.uk/fostering or email us at:fostering@islington.gov.uk

Foster Care supplement 21MAY 17-23, 2012 THE VOICE |

“Many of us can count our blessings for being raised in an environment where we feel loved and secure. Foster Care Fortnight sets out to mobilise people to help children and young people who need that security be it on a temporary or long term basis. It is my sincere hope and prayer that we pull together as a com-munity and find ways to help our looked after children. I also hope that we find a way to talk about foster care and adop-tion, not just for a fortnight or a month, but days, weeks and years so that the needs of looked after children are al-ways on our minds and it spurs us into action.”Couture designer Adebayo Jones

“I’m in support of the Foster Care Fortnight campaign be-cause it raises the awareness of the plight of children who need a safe and caring home while they are unable to live with their own families.”

Saxophonist Walegreat ‘I cannot begin to stress how

much I think a loving and se-cure family is to the develop-ment and wellbeing of a child. I have my parents support and

encouragement to thank for for giving me the self-confi-dence and belief to achieve my success as a fashion designer.

I truly believe that this safe and nurturing environment for a child doesn’t have to be provided by blood relatives but can also be provided by people who have chosen to provide a loving environment for a child by either fostering or adoption. I hope that with more openness and awareness about this sub-ject, adoption and

fostering will be further em-braced by the community.’Yemi Osunkoya, Creative Di-rector, Kosibah

“I believe that every child deserves to be raised in an a secure, nurturing environment where they can thrive and achieve their full potential. I

will be telling my clients about Foster Care Fortnight and en-couraging them to tap into their networks. It is my hope that they will find somebody who will eventually foster a child.” Josephine Adebolu Designer/Jeweller, JoDelyn-London

“I have such admiration for those that foster and indeed take the steps toward fostering a child. There are so many in-credible people out there who would make and do make in-credible foster carers, and there are also many children out there who need those very peo-ple to be foster carers to them.”

Chef and TV personality Lorraine Pascale

“I have always thought about fostering and have pledged to look into it now that my circumstances have changed and I feel in a posi-tion to do so. Fortunately, Fos-ter Care Fortnight will give me

the opportunity to explore all the options so that I can make an informed decision.”

Larissa Armstrong-Moore, mother“LAC R AIMP”Joshua

Time to careIt’s Foster Care Fortnight and the Fostering Network spearheads the national recruitment campaign with the message ‘Time to Care’. The Voice, with its message ‘Fostering Hope’, aims to get the dialogue started and people spurred into action.

A RECIPE FOR FOSTER CARE By N Disu

IngredientsAccommodation – rented or privateA family (single man, woman, couple)• Time• Energy• Humour• Compassion• Discipline• Humanity• Trustworthiness• Stickability• Patience• Compassion• Trustworthiness• Journal, diary or camera (optional) MethodTake a house or flat with room for a child. Add a family. This may consist of a couple, married or cohabiting, a single person or divorcee.

Mix in a lot of time.Blend with some energy.Pour in lots of humour and a huge dollop of patience.Stir in pinches of compassion with a hint of discipline.Throw in some humanity and pinches of trustworthiness.Beat with a whole load of stickability.Cooking is about the senses.Feel for any inconsistencies and listen for anything untoward.This mix may curdle sometimes but add a confidence booster and you should reach the consistency it takes for success.Record each moment in a journal/diary or on camera (optional)

Adebayo Jones Yemi Osunkoya Walegreat Josephine Adebolu

Fostering Fortnight 2012 - Change a child’s life foreverFoster carers look after other people’s children in their own home, either short or long term and your help can really make the difference to a child’s life. Fostering Fortnight runs from 14 – 27 May and this year’s campaign centres on the fact that a child comes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK with the Fostering Network estimating that 8,750 new foster families are needed in 2012 alone. These figures frighteningly show the need for new foster carers to help change the lives of local children.

There are many myths about foster carers such as they must be married or own a large house. Islington foster carers in fact come from many different cultures and backgrounds and may be couples or single people, with or without their own chil-dren living in owned or rented accommodation.

You don’t need qualifications but you do need to be good with children or young people, be able to keep them healthy and safe and to help them make good pro-gress at school. As well as the satisfaction of helping a child you will also receive generous financial allowances to help with their care and of course Islington foster carers get full training and 24-hour support.

Change a child’s life forever, foster with Islington

THIS IS SET FOR THE WIDTH OF A4 WITH 3mm BLEED AT THE SIDES AND BOTTOM. PLEASE USE THE CROP MARKS AS A GUIDE TO POSTIONING THE THREAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

0800 073 0428fostering@islington.gov.uk www.islington.gov.uk

Islington urgently needs foster carers to look after local children of all ages. A child comes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK and the Fostering Network estimates that 8,750 new foster families are needed in 2012 alone. Could you help make a difference to one of these young lives by becoming a foster carer?

To find out more about why not come along to an information session where you can talk to Islington foster carers and really get a feel for what fostering is all about.

Tuesday 29 May 6pm - 8pm

Islington Town Hall, Upper Street N1 2UD

If you can’t join us then please call about other upcoming dates.

To get the facts about fostering and find out about our next information sessions give us a call free on: 0800 073 0428. Alternatively visit: www.islington.gov.uk/fostering or email us at:fostering@islington.gov.uk

| THE VOICE MAY 17-23, 201222 Foster Care supplement

Poet and playwright Lemn Sissay, who experienced the foster care system, has be-come the first poet commis-sioned to write a poem for the London 2012 Games. His poem ‘Sparkcatchers’, about the women and girls of the Bryant and May Match Fac-tory, will be etched into a wooden structure at the north of the Olympic Park to-gether with two lesser known poems.

Speaking of the poems, Lemn says, “One of them is simply the word ‘Living is in’, which is repeated maybe 150 times”, while the other “is like an explosion in the graphic and it’s simply the words “There is a certain electricity between us – a spark”.

There is a reason for the brevity of the poems but one has to see them for their full impact.

Visit before the Olympic rush. For information on art in the Olympic Park, log on to: http://www.london2012.com/spectators /venues/olympic-park/art-in-the-park/index.html

Sporting success

Around the world: fostering hope through football in sierra leone

FOSTERING AN OLYPMPIC POET

In this special year of sport, Yinka Sunmonu talks to Isha Johansen, owner of FC Johansen, a successful Premier League football

club in Sierra Leone that has helped children who do not have families of their own. Isha focuses on the club’s foundation and its achieve-ments, showing that there are many ways to help and empower children whatever their circumstances.

My team has the young-est players in the league, and the club is synonymous with youth empowerment as they are youth football ambassa-dors for their country.

The club was formed in 2004. Sierra Leone was still reeling from the

aftermath of its civil war. There were a lot of displaced youngsters and

orphans around the capital with no real sense of direc-tion.

My husband and I, in our own small way, started the team as a humanitarian

venture. The then eight to nine year old underprivileged boys, who were playing foot-ball almost from dusk to dawn metres away from my home, were given the opportunity to combine education and foot-ball. The carrot we dangled was football, and they in re-turn had to promise to stay in school.

Our story is one of love and adoption of children from dif-ferent backgrounds. It is one of trust and giving. Today FC Johansen is not just a source of national pride, but an in-ternational success story with our lads having travelled to several countries in Europe and America bringing laurels to their homeland. The joy and pride of seeing young boys grow from being inse-cure and lost to young leaders whom other young boys look up to is truly amazing”.

(If you have an interesting story about helping looked after children in the UK or overseas, email: info@cher-ishcommunications.com)

JAMIE BAULCHOlympic silver medal-list (4x400m relay) Jamie Baulch is an adoptee and multi award winning ath-lete. Born in Nottingham, he grew up in Wales. In 1999, he won the world indoor championships in the 400m becoming the first Briton to win a world title at the distance since Eric Liddell (1924 Games).

SURYA BONALYIce skater Surya Bonaly was born in Nice, France and was adopted by Suzanne and George Bonaly who were also her coaches. Although a multi French and Euro-pean skating champion, and a silver medallist at the World Figure Skating Championships on more than one occasion, she never managed to win an Olympic medal.

PHILLIPS IDOWUPhillips Idowu is a World, Commonwealth and Eu-ropean triple jump cham-pion. Born in Hackney, he spent some time in foster care. Phillips is one of several Olympic athletes to have attended Brunel University. Having won an Olympic Silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olym-pics, he is aiming for Gold in London.

KRIS AKABUSIKriss Akabusi was born in London and experienced foster care with his broth-er. He is a former Europe-an Champion (400m hur-dles), a European gold medallist in the 4x400m relay and an Olympic Sil-ver medalist also in the 4x400m relay. He is now the Chief Executive of the Akabusi Company

DAN O’BRIENOlympic decathlon champion Dan O’Brien was born in America and raised in foster care un-til he was adopted as a toddler. He is a former world record holder and a three-time world athletics champion.

Leaps of success - olympic athletes who have been fostered/adopted

FOOTBALL CLUB OWNER: Isha Johansen

27MAY 17-23, 2012 THE VOICE | Foster Care supplement

The good doctor There is a consultant pediatrician in north Grimsby, who goes about her work with a smile on her face

more often than not and who has been known to bestow her wisdom to young looked after children in a car park. This is how far she will go to help children and young peo-ple who need care and atten-tion.

Her name is Dr Omobolaji Wilson and Yinka Sunmonu interviews her.

Dr Wilson’s interest in the health and well-being of looked after children and young people started in 1999, while doing her master’s dis-sertation.

She approached the local authority for a project she was doing on the medical health needs of the children and got access to the boarding out medicals. The files gave her a Eureka moment.

Finding that there was no-body following up on the children’s’ health needs, such as referrals, she realized that something had to change.

Fortunately, she had the support of the respected pedia-trician Professor Leon Polnay , who happened to be her super-visor and who supported and spurred her on.

Dr Wilson established a health service for looked after children and set about build-ing her team. She created a business case and was fortu-nate enough to get people on side.

“I talked to the local author-ity and at the time the ??? had just started and so for the first time the local authority had the responsibility for looked after children and there was a lot of excitement. We started on the basis that these children were ours and we took it from there.”

She speaks very softly and yet the excitement is tinged in her speech.

“We could do what we want-ed for our children and devise plans for them” she adds.

One of the first tasks was to set out policies and pro-cedures. After that, no task was too small. Dr Wilson and her team visited children and young people in schools, their homes and even a car park.

The team is a model of good practice. In 2001, the number of child health assessments undertaken was still very poor (13%) as the children were not used to hav-ing them but by 2005, they had increased to 97%.

To get it into perspec-tive, pre Dr Wilson, the child just had a ba-sic medical that was signed off and that was it. It filled the statutory requirement.

She wanted some-thing more to happen. “nobody was chasing any medical appoint-ments such as a date at

the opticians or hearing prob-lems.” Things a parent would have responsibility for.

She was also interested in a child’s emotional health now that they were in care. This was important to her as she felt they would

miss their pets, miss their parents and no matter how bad the abuse they may have experienced, they would miss their parents.

“I wanted health assess-ments to be holistic and for them to have all round care,

which included what was hap-pening to them in school.

“I wanted to see how we could make the child comfort-able and happy in care. This is what we set out to do as a team.”

She uses the word “we” of-ten and “our’ when referring to the personnel delivering on care and the children re-ceiving it. She has taken the concept of a village raising a child and planted it into a community setting in North

E a s t Y o r k -

shire.Like the re-

search, Dr Wilson acknowledges that children coming into care are facing chal-

lenges.“Obviously, this affects their

self esteem. Most of the chil-dren think they have no con-trol over their lives.” She says. “They feel helpless. Some of the children, when they be-come looked after children, show anxieties.”

She relates how they have concerns about the future, moving and what is happen-ing at home

“Some of the children are very quiet and detached from the foster carers to start with and this is all about being cau-tion. Some are hypervigilant.”

She mentions the impor-tance of winning the child’s trust and confidence and the breakthroughs that can come as a result of this.

“Sometimes a child is happy

and settled with the foster car-er and the next day the same child is trashing the whole place or is withdrawn. When we speak to them, we realize that they feel that they are letting their family down be-cause they are so comfortable with their new family and by return, they feel they are being disloyal.”

One of the Dr Wilson’s key achievements negotiating with the local authority and health trust for a specific psycho-logical service for looked after children. It has been place for a number of years.

There is no waiting list. Any looked after child can see a p s y - chologist within

two weeks, or within days if necessary. The foster

carers also have access

to advice from a psychologist on how to work with the child.

A consultant since 2007, the pro-

motion has enabled Dr Wilson to work

with a larger team that includes trainee doctors at

registrar level, the opportu-nity to do more research and most importantly, they get to see more looked after children and inform commissioners of new services that need to be developed.

Dr Wilson has achieved a lot and she is still working on improving the service that that continues to grow.

“I have always been focused

and have always had goals. I just keep looking at what we can do. My job is gratifying. The foster carers are fantastic and the local authority and trust have been fantastic in terms of recognizing the im-portance of foster carers and the needs of looked after chil-dren.”

Although her job is not 9-5, she manages to relax by watching films (she loves com-edies) and reading (The No.1 Ladies Detective series by Al-exander McCall Smith is her favourite).

A realist, she is aware that not all the children can have a dream come true ending in their life. If she could grant then a wish, she says “I wish that they would be happy, find peace and understand why they can’t go home. I wish that

they could know that they are loved by the people who are caring from them.”

Her name, Omobolaji, means a child born with wealth in Yoruba. Names are significant

in Yoruba culture and Dr Wil-son has certainly embodied the meaning of hers. She bestows a gift to others through the wealth of her generosity and commitment to a cause.

PandorasBoxFlyerA5_Final_TextToPathsNew1.indd 1 3/4/12 13:14:15

9-26 May, 2012

The good doctor - interview with the extraordinary consultant paediatrican Dr Omobolaji Wilson who is dedicated to improv-ing the health and wellbeing of looked after children.

“I wanted to see how we could make

the child comfortable and happy in

care ”

TRANSFORMER: Dr. Omobolaji Wilson

“Breathtakingly candid…another strong female presence”The Guardian on Ade Solanke

“All parents agonise about education. For Black and Diaspora parents, race and culture make the decision-making even more complex” Diane Abbott MP

Book now:

WWW.ARCOLATHEATRE.COM • 0207 503 1646Arcola Tent, 2 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL

Foster Care supplement| THE VOICE MAY 17-23 201228

CAMPAIGNER: Phil Frampton through the

years

Auditions now open!

From (L to R): Mark Beswick, Angie Le Mar, Guvna B, MercyB.

Time2Shine is a contest for aspiring Gospel artists from various Christian ministries across the UK.

Presented by television favourite, Josie d’Arby, Time2Shine has been described as BET’s Sunday Best meets X-Factor and is a platform to showcase the best in UK Gospel talent.

We are looking for talented Christian rappers/vocalists to become a new four-piece music act! If you fit the bill, apply online at time2shineministry.com

The winners of ‘Time2Shine’ will receive a top management contract, the opportunity to produce an album, a music video, a website, an international tour at the Barbados GospelFest and more!

Join our judges MercyB, Mark Beswick, Angie Le Mar and Guvna B as our contestants battle for your vote in order to have their time to shine!

Be a part of the UK’s biggest Gospel talent show and feature on SKY TV this summer by applying at time2shineministry.com

Closing date for applications is Friday 18th May 2012

Josie d’ Arby

T2S Ministry Time 2 Shine gospel

Always expect this from the yOn initiatives such as Foster Care Fortnight and Adop-

tion Week… These are all very well in

keeping the issue in the public eye but the fact is that the Fos-tering Network figures show that despite the appeals, the shortage of fosterers has more than doubled since 1998. Ap-pealing for more fosterers sug-gests the authorities care but, despite the country having many dedicated fosterers, the instability of fostering based system has led to thousands of young people leaving care in a worse state than when they arrived. Fostering is simply the cheaper options to creating quality managed residential homes with the young people’s interests additionally protected by the creation and empower-ment of elected youth councils, such as exist in some homes in Germany.

On improving the lives chil-dren needing fostering/adop-tion especially during a reces-sion…

Britain has 1 million empty properties. Have a crash pro-gramme of creating modern Barnardo type cost-effective care villages such as Kinder-haus in East Berlin to keep sib-ling families together and pro-vide stability and continuity of education.

End the smartie policy of prioritising ethnic matching, which leaves far too many black and minority ethnic chil-dren in emergency care and focus on spending on compul-sory training of adopters and carers on the cultural and eth-nic backgrounds of the young

people.On the importance of sup-

porting young people leaving care and drawing attention to it…

Care is still very poor in this country and many young peo-ple leave care with very inad-equate support. Young people in care and care leavers, con-tinually get a bad press, facing stigmatisation and discrimina-tion as damaged goods.

On being vocal about foster-ing and adoption for 13 years and identifying two things, from a host of achievements, to be proud of… Getting peo-ple such as Martin Narey and the Commons Select Commit-tee to accept and promote the fact that decent care homes can provide a better option for many young people, especially separated siblings.

About Phil FramptonPhil’s memoir, The Golly in

the Cupboard (2004), on being mixed race and brought up in care, was followed by his BBC programme of the same name, which won the 2005 Race in the Media Award for radio doc-umentaries. His controversial Channel 4 Bring Back Orphan-ages programme (2007) high-lighted excellent outcomes in German residential care.

Phil’s latest BBC Radio doc-umentary, The Crying Shame, focusing on the post war plight of unmarried mothers and the issue of ethnic matching of children in care was broadcast at Easter and has already been re-broadcast four times across three BBC Radio stations.

An experienced lecturer, keynote speaker, broadcaster and author, Phil is a freelance consultant and Director of Co-operatives North West. He has written for The Independent, Guardian, Daily Mail, Big Issue and journals around the world. Phil was a member of the Cabi-net Office Advisory Group on the Education of Young People in Care, a Parliamentary Select Committee Witness regard-ing Abuse of Children in Care, founding Chair of Care Leav-ers Association (2000-2003) and, in 2008, was shortlisted to become a national Director of OFSTED.

¢ www.philframpton.co.uk

OpinionatedPhil Frampton, a campaigner for the rights of children in care, gets vocal about fostering.

“On the importance

of supporting young people leaving care and drawing

attention to it”

Foster Care supplement 29MAY 17-23, 2012 THE VOICE |

CARER: Elaine and Curtis

By Elaine Medford

Elaine Medford, a learn-ing disabilities nurse, is a foster carer who looks after children with her

partner, Junior. She started fostering when her children were older and has fostered over 20 children the past 13 years. Some of the children she has fostered return to visit bringing their own children with them. She talks about her experiences with young people.

You have to realize that when some of the children come to you, whatever age,

they are going to come with their own issues and their own baggage. I think originally, I waded into it thinking that they were coming to spend some time with our family and that three months later they would be fine. This is not the case.

RESPECTAll your own parenting

skills, the skills that you use with your own children may not work. You have to adopt others, learn other skills and tailor things to that child.

Take respect. I come from the old school and like respect but you cannot always expect this from the young people who come into your home.

It’s adults who have usually let them down and adults who have usually messed up their lives, so don’t expect that they are going to treat you or talk to you with respect and that you will get them to do things out of respect. You have to earn their respect as some of the young people believe you are just doing your job.

You see potential in some

of the young people and you want to give them a chance. You want to support them into taking their opportunities. I hate to think of lost opportuni-ties. For me, If things are be-ing given to you, if things are being handed to you, take that opportunity and use it.

One of the young men we fostered has just released a sin-gle and is recording his album and one of the young women we fostered some time ago, re-turned to live with us. She was pregnant. We helped her as much as we could and she has now moved into her own flat.

Fostering can be extremely challenging and demanding, but it has great rewards.

Elaine on lessons learnt as a foster carer

You need a good family unit or good friends to support you.

It is important to realize that children come into your home with a range of issues.

Good fostering agencies al-low you to discuss your con-cerns and vent any frustration you may have.

A foster carer’s story

“skills that you use with

your own children may not work ”

Teens need youA survey, published at the start of Foster Care Fortnight, shows there is an urgent need for more foster carers for teen-agers across the UK. The Fos-tering Nework research reveals that 59% of fostering services need foster carers to ensure that young people are found the homes they need. The situ-ation is such that 98% of all fostering services respond-ing to the survey said they were looking for more foster families for teenagers than last year.

In addition, fostering servic-es have identified the need for foster carers who can special-ise in caring for sibling groups and disabled children.

“My IV listens when I talk. He helps me to be positive about my life. He’s always there and we have laugh.” (James, 15)James has come a long way since he was “matched” with a volunteer In-dependent Visitor through Action for Children. By the time we met him he had already been involved with the police and his reputation as a ‘trou-blemaker’ was spreading through his neighbourhood.

As a first step the project went to visit James; explained what he could get out of the scheme and spoke about the sort of mentor he might like. One of our volunteers, David, shared simi-lar interests and could offer James the sort of support he needed, so we in-troduced them. That was over a year ago.

“James is a great young man. We started out just having fun, getting to know each other – going to the park, kicking a football around, going to the cinema, finding places to go and eat, simple stuff really, “ says David.

“There was never any pressure to talk about the ‘serious stuff’. We would just have fun and chat about all sorts – football, TV, anything real-ly. But James knew that if he wanted to he could talk to me and I would be supportive.

James would often talk about be-ing let down by this person and that

person and that it was really difficult for him to trust people. I never tried to ‘achieve’ that but just kept on being that reliable, consistent person that he could have a laugh with. He’s a really bright lad and has a lot of ideas and plans about what he wants to be but just needed that bit of space to ex-press them.

A year on I wouldn’t say that we’re totally there, but I feel proud and privileged that I have been there for him and have no intention of stop-ping now!”

The support IVs offer can range from just going out and having fun to more structured and targeted help – Each young person is an individual and it always depends on what that young person’s needs are. Children in care often have to deal with regular change and a lack of stability, which is why it’s incredibly important that there is someone independent (hence the name) and consistent in their lives that can give that young person a chance to build a positive relationship with someone over a long period of time. Something that most of us take for granted.

And what do volunteers get out of it? David says, “I never went into this expecting to get a specific re-ward or gratification, but it’s been a thoroughly fun experience. The most amazing reward was to see the change

in James and how he has grown as a person. To know I’ve played some part in helping to give him the space to find out what he wants in life, and to stay out of trouble is more than I could have hoped for.”• The London Independent Visi-tors project supports children in care across London linking them with vol-unteer befrienders who aim to support a young person’s emotional wellbeing by developing a long term friendship with them whilst engaging with their interests/hobbies.

• Action for Children supports and speaks out for the most vulnerable and neglected children and young people, for as long as it takes to make a difference in their lives.

• Children are at the centre of eve-rything Action for Children does. For more information on our work, please visit www.actionforchildren.org.uk.

Actions speak louder than words

Could you befriend a young person in care?

Young people in the care system need stable and positive role models

We’re particularly looking for men to volunteer to offer that support.

If you have experience of being in care yourself we’d like to hear from you but if you haven’t – and you’re committed about mentoring a young person – give us a call.

Full training and support will be provided. Training to start Summer 2012

To find out more contact The London Independent Visitors Project

Email: LondonIV@actionforchildren.org.uk Tel: 020 7254 9408

| THE VOICE MAY 17-23, 201230 Foster Care supplement

Fostering Network Chief Executive Robert Tapsfield:

“All foster carers receive a fostering allowance which should cover the cost of caring for a fostered child. These vary across the UK, but in England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are national minimum allowances agreed by govern-ment.

Some fostering services also pay their foster carers a fee on top of the allowance, in recog-nition of their time, skills and experience.

Prospective foster carers should ask their local foster-ing services about the finan-cial support that they offer, and should not be afraid to shop around to find the foster-ing service that offers the right mix of

financial and practical sup-port for them.”

The Fostering Network coor-dinates Foster Care Fortnight. (Details: www.fostering.net or telephone: 0800 040 7675)

Jonathan Whalley, Bar-nardo’s Assistant Director of Children’s Services for the South East:

“In the time of economic cri-sis and a downturn in the job market, people may want to look at alternative careers and a career in fostering could be an option for some.

We’re not expecting people to come to the fostering service and be Rolls Royce foster car-ers but what we will say is that Barnardo’s will give you super

Rolls Royce support.We believe that anyone with

the right attitude and support can offer an environment that will allow a child to grow. So we encourage anyone to come forward and not be put off.

We still need to breakdown the myths about fostering and encourage people to get in touch with us. Staff would be more than willing to share with them, on a one to one basis, what fostering involves and talk through their own particu-lar circumstances”.

Barnardo’s is urging more people to consider putting themselves forward as poten-tial foster carers – particularly for children from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. (Details: www.barnardos.org.uk/fosteringandadoption or

telephone 0800 277 280) Gareth Crossman, Execu-

tive Director of External Af-fairs, TACT:

“You can afford to foster in-sofar as the money you receive will cover the expenses of hav-ing the child in your home, plus you receive an allowance on top of that. At TACT, we think foster carers should be treated as professionals. They do a professional job in the same way that a social work-er does a professional job but they go further insofar as they open up their homes.

They rightly receive recom-pense for that and our foster carers are happy with the mon-ey they receive.

If you worked it out as an hourly rate, it wouldn’t be very

high for the amount of work you put in but you won’t be-come a foster carer and then be struggling financially.

When we are in a recession, a lot of people, particularly in the public sector are finding their employment situation

precarious and many people are losing their jobs. So, we are approaching people through our advertising to think of foster care as a career, which people may not have envisaged before.”

TACT is the largest fostering

and adoption charity in the UK. (Details: www.tactcare.org.uk

or telephone 0808 252 8524)

¢ TACT is the largest foster-ing and adoption charity in the UK. ((www.tactcare.org.uk

or telephone 0808 252 8524)

The debate is on as to whether foster carers can or should work on a full time basis. The general consen-

sus is that staying at home is preferable, part time work is possible and it depends on the needs of the child and the fos-tering agencies.

We caught up with My-Aspirations Director Marilyn Antrobus (Assoc. Cipd), who has written fostering and adoption policies for organisa-tions, to ask what employees can expect from the workplace if they’re thinking about fos-tering a child.

Can foster parents or pri-vate foster carers apply for flexible working?

Anyone can ask their em-ployer for flexible work ar-rangements, but the law pro-vides some employees with the statutory right to request a flexible working pattern. You must have worked for your employer for 26 weeks con-tinuously before applying.

What type of flexible work-ing is there?

Flexitime, homeworking, job-sharing, annualised hours, term time working, part time hours, staggered hours.

Is flexible working a right? Under the law, your employ-

er must seriously consider any application you make. This can only be rejected if there are good business reasons for

doing so. You have the right to ask for flexible working - not the right to have it, and employers can reasonably de-cline your application where there is a legitimate business ground.

Do you have to tell your employers if you are fos-tering a child/children?

There is no legal require-ment but it would be useful to advise them as you may need to take time off from work to attend group preparation ses-sions or to care for the child.

Can you take a sabbatical or leave of absence while you are helping a fos-tered child settle into your home?

This would depend on your employer and whether there are provisions to take a sab-batical as not all employers offer this option.

¢ For information on My-Aspirations, log on to: www.myaspirations.co.uk

Fostering during a recession – yes you can…

Aspiring to work

We approached three major organisations and asked: What advice can you give to people who would like to foster but think they cannot afford it, especially during a recession?

Marilyn Antropus

1. Send an email about foster care to your networks asking them to continue the trend. 2. Access www.22minutes.org.uk , which contains videos and blogs by foster carers3. Befriend a looked after child. Contact your local authority for information4. Fundraise 5. Tweet 6. Facetime 7. Use Facebook8. Attend a local authority or independent fostering agency event 9. Read actress Victoria Rowell’s memoir ’The Women who raised me’ (Amistad, 2008)10. Watch BAAF’s new film on the experiences of foster carers. Details: www.baaf.org11. Read ‘Precious: a true story’, by

Precious Williams (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011)12. Place posters in local stores13. Read ‘The Golly in the cupboard’, by Phil Frampton, (Tamic Publications 2004) 14. Campaign 15. Become a children’s advocate16. Discuss foster care in schools17. Read ‘The Kid’ by Sapphire (Penguin Press 2011)18. Ask your pastor to raise awareness on Sunday19. Join a fostering panel. (See: ‘Thinking of Joining an adoption panel – revised 2011’, published by BAAF)20. Learn about the health needs of looked after children21. Read the novel ‘Cherish’ by Yinka Sunmonu (Mango Publishing, 2004) 22. Become a foster carer

22 WAYS TO RAISE AWARENESS

Fostering Network statistics show that a child comes into care every 22 minutes and requires a foster family. LaDiva suggests ways to get involved: