Helping foster carers

I would like to thank the Minister for Family and Social Solidarity, Dolores Cristina, on behalf of all foster carers, for listening and taking action, enabling Appogg to gain new staff members.

Since my last letter dated September 11, I have learned that Appogg has now three new social workers (one is a replacement). The fact that the fostering unit has expanded means that Appogg will now be able to monitor existing foster families much better as well as the new foster families and their fostered children. Training will also be available to more people as more social workers are employed, creating a more knowledgeable team of social workers and foster carers alike.

Some people have told me, "you are so brave to do this kind of thing" or "rather you than me" or "what happens when they go back home, won't you get upset?" I tell those people, you should try it! You get more rewards than you would expect because you see the children and how hurt they are when they first come into your home and over time (even a short time) you see them changing and that child feels safe allowing himself or herself to express themselves freely without fear of ridicule or worse.

With the help of the extra staff members we can also encourage new foster families to come forward and open up their hearts and homes to children of all ages giving them the opportunity to experience family life with some stability.

Many of our children living in residential homes are desperate to live a 'normal' family life. They want to have the stereotype set-up - mum, dad, brothers and sisters (just like everybody else). They want to be able to fit in with their friends at school as well as keep in contact with their birth families. They really need a head start in life as some will have suffered a great deal before they hit puberty and that's where we, as foster carers come into the picture.

This is all possible because of the dedication of the social workers and foster carers. We need more of both and now we have more social workers we can hopefully encourage more foster families to give it a go!

Agenzija Appogg is planning an awareness campaign regarding children aged seven to 12 in need of foster care. This is the most difficult age to find willing foster carers and yet these are some of the most vulnerable children. Anybody who feels they would be able to foster should contact Appogg for more details.