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WHO ARE THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE?
There are many reasons why some children and young people are unable to live with their own families and so require people who can look after them for the length of time it takes until they can return home or move on to settle permanently elsewhere.
Some children need a foster family for a very short period of time where there is nobody within their extended family who has the space or ability to look after them. Other children will remain looked after for longer until their parents are helped to make changes to their lifestyle that will enable them to care again for them. Other children will not be able to return home because a parent has died and nobody else in the extended family is in a position to care for them or indeed their parents are unable, for various reasons, to provide for their consistent care.
Foster carers can provide a safe and secure home for single children, sibling groups of children, young parent and child and for children with disabilities. This can be for a short period, over some years or on a respite basis to allow a parent a break from other pressures in their life.
The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and The Fostering of Children (Scotland) Regulations 1996 govern the placement of children with foster carers. All local authorities provide fostering resources for children for whom they have responsibility under these statutes. Sometimes however, resources are stretched to the extent that children who need a foster care placement cannot be matched with a local authority carer. In these situations, local authorities will refer to agencies such as ours to seek an appropriately matched placement.
Children who cannot live within their own family for whatever reason will experience some level of trauma by needing to be looked after elsewhere. Many children will also have experienced abuse, physically, emotionally or sexually or have had their needs neglected for some time. They may exhibit behaviour that reflects the disruption and uncertainty of their situation and this can present itself in many forms ranging from challenging behaviour to the child whose despair makes him withdraw into himself. They will find it very difficult to trust adults because their experience may have been that adults hurt them and let them down.
It is understandable therefore that such children will require immense patience, understanding and commitment from adults to stick by them and help them. Fostering Relations is confident of finding such carers and is committed to working alongside them to ensure the best experience for children who are placed with us. The rewards of seeing children grow and develop into happy, healthy young people are immense.
These carers could be you! Come and work with us and make a real difference to a child’s life and future.