Foster families needed in Cavan

Foster families are urgently needed throughout Cavan to help support children in care. The fostering social worker for the county, Kay McLoughlin, is particularly appealing for foster families to take older children aged ten to 18. Speaking to the Anglo-Celt from the HSE"s child and family support offices at Drumalee, Ms. McLoughlin said that there are currently 60 children from Cavan in care and that at any one time this can range from 50 to 65 children. At present, there are 51 approved and active fostering families in the county. Thankfully, Ms. McLoughlin says there are no children from Cavan in residential homes waiting for placement at present but she explains this can change quickly if care orders from the courts present more children to social services in the region or parents seek help voluntarily for one reason or another. 'Of the children in foster care in the county, about half are in long-term care and may never return home. A certain amount are in medium-term care and are still looking at a plan to go home and a number of others may only be in short-term care and could return home in a matter of days or weeks,' she explained. While some children come into care because of abuse or neglect in the home, Ms. McLoughlin points out that often it is simply because parents find themselves in difficult circumstances, possibly through no fault of their own. In some cases a parent may have addiction or mental health problems. Ms. McLoughlin says that sometimes children come into care voluntarily if their parents need respite or perhaps their mother is going in hospital to have a baby or an operation and they have no family members or friends to help out. But at all times, Ms. McLoughlin says that the social workers and the foster parents try to work with the children"s birth parents. 'The HSE offers families under stress supports it envisages will prevent the children coming into care. When children come into care, every effort is made to assist the parents in having the children returned as quickly as possible. Many children return home having spent a short time in care,' she explained. 'At all times we would listen to the voice of the child and 99% of the time, they want to return home to the parent,' added Ms. McLoughlin. Sarah has been a foster mother in Cavan for nearly ten years and has fostered 30 children. At the moment, she has three foster children in her care, aged six to eleven, and there are a number of other foster children who come to back to her every so often to give their parents respite. Sarah has four children of her own, now all grown up and living independently. 'We had our children very young and always said we"d be interested in fostering. Our children were growing up and moving on and we felt like we still had a lot to give. We were still young and we were aware that there were children, and parents, who need help,' explained Sarah. Over the years, Sarah admits that it was difficult to let go of some children she"d had in her care for a number of years. 'But it"s nice for the children to be able to go home and be with mum and dad,' she said. Sarah explained that in most cases contact will have been kept up with the parents and they will have had some form of access to the children. She feels it"s also important for the foster carers to have a good relationship with the parents of the children in their care and to work with them and the social workers to help bring them to a position where their children can return home. While Sarah stressed that fostering is hard work, she said it"s one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. 'We"ve had our crises and our tears and our ups and downs. You don"t have blinkers on going into it. It"s a 24-hour job. The children are in your care 24 hours a day, even when they"re asleep. It"s not all roses but it is 100% rewarding,' she said. Sarah conceded that some foster children can be a little difficult but stressed that this is rarely their fault. 'There"s usually an underlying problem that comes out in their behaviour but you work with them to support them and you have the support of the social worker,' she explained. Any person or family can apply to the HSE to be assessed as a foster parent or foster family. You don"t have to be married to be a foster parent. In fact, you could be a single person, an unmarried couple or a same-sex couple. You must be able to provide adequate and appropriate accommodation for the foster child. The HSE assigns a social worker to carry out an assessment of suitability. These assessments include meeting all members of the family, references, Garda clearance and medical examinations. Ms. McLoughlin explains that there is currently a waiting list for assessment but that once an individual or family has applied, the process should be complete in about three to four months. Training of two and a half days is also given to prospective foster parents. Ms. McLoughlin also points out that applicants can pull out at any stage of the process. 'Every effort is made to ensure that those selected as foster carers and foster families are suitable,' she explained. 'We ask the parents about their life-long history. It"s important we know the people we are placing children with.' Apart from foster care, Ms. McLoughlin explains that the HSE is also looking for individuals who can offer supported lodgings to young people aged 16 to 18 years. 'This is where a person takes a young person into their home and provides them with full board and a degree of support. 'They would know where the young person is and liaise with the HSE and provide a degree of support to the young person but would not take on to parent them. This has suited some B&B providers, but anyone can fulfil the criteria,' she explained. The financial supports for fostering are more than sufficient to cover the costs of keep and caring for a child full-time but both Sarah and Ms. McLoughlin say that applicants should not be motivated by money. 'Foster carers should not be out of pocket,' commented Ms. McLoughlin. Sarah agreed that the financial supports were adequate but cautioned that the level of support and responsibility of being a foster parents is extensive and prospective carers should not be motivated by money. Further information on fostering from the HSE and Irish Foster Carers websites on hse.ie or ifca.ie or by contacting the fostering social worker on 049-4377305.