ALMOST A QUARTER OF WELSH FOSTER CHILDREN STILL MOVE HOME SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR

Charity launches urgent appeal for foster carers to provide stable homes

Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of Welsh foster children in Wales move home two or more times a year (April 2015 to March 2016) a Freedom of Information request by charity Action for Children has revealed.

Last year (April 2014 to March 2015), the charity found that one in four children were moved regularly between foster care homes, affecting their social skills, educational outcomes and employment prospects – impacting on their behaviour as well as emotional and mental health. Today, Action for Children is warning that too many children in foster care are still being disrupted by repeated moves to new homes, and has launched an urgent appeal to find thousands of new foster carers who can offer children a safe, stable and loving home at the earliest possible opportunity.

Brigitte Gater, Action for Children’s director of children’s services, said: “We know of children as young as four who have had to move three times in less than a year before finding a stable family home. For children in care, moving home means more than fitting into a new place – it means leaving behind family, friends, school and everything that is familiar to start over again.

“It is impossible to imagine what this must be like for a child or young person, who has already had the toughest start in life, to have to move several times a year until they find the right foster carer.

“Unfortunately, many children in foster care have experienced neglect or abuse and as a result have to move from their family home so that they are placed with a carer who can provide them with the stability, love and care they need. That’s why we urgently need more dedicated foster carers to help children and young people overcome trauma by helping them to love and trust again, feel safe, and rebuild a real sense of worth and belonging.”

Anne-Marie Wright has been fostering with Action for Children’s Fostering Wales service for nearly five years. She says it’s one of the best decisions she ever made:  “I became a foster carer as I believe every child deserves to be loved and feel safe.  I make sure that the children who stay with me have everything they need to have secure, happy and healthy lives. It is the most satisfying thing I have done in my life.

“There are challenges, as with raising any child, but with full support and training from Action for Children you have everything you need to flourish. I also receive a generous fostering allowance, which I use to take children to the beach, go crabbing and treat them to a cone of chips at the end of the day. These children have had difficult starts, so days like that mean a lot.  I’d recommend fostering to anyone who can offer a child a warm and loving home, with Action for Children’s support it’s a wonderful thing to do.”

Action for Children is looking for people across Wales who can provide a secure and loving home to children who have experienced trauma and loss. Lots of people can foster; it doesn’t matter if you’re older, whether you own or rent your home, are single, co-habiting or married, male or female or in a heterosexual or same-sex relationship, but you must have a spare room and the ability to stand alongside children and young people to help them recover. If you would like to find out more about being a foster carer visit www.actionforchildren.org.uk/fostering or call 01633 270422.