Treasuring another happy day

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Anna Azzopardi quietly tip-toes into the room of her foster child to treasure the scene of the girl sleeping peacefully.

"It's so rewarding to just watch her and feel that she spent another happy day with me rather than in an institution," explained Mrs Azzopardi who is one of 180 foster carers on the island.

Appoġġ Agency hopes to increase the number of carers by 50 this year to cater for some 60 children who are waiting to be fostered. For this reason, the agency yesterday launched a campaign to encourage families to help children and adolescents through fostering.

"Many people wish to foster a child but have doubts and fears due to the commitment involved," explained Appoġġ chief executive officer Sina Bugeja during the campaign's launch.

She added that fostering gave children and adolescents, who came from troubled families, the opportunity to live in a family environment until the situation in their natural family got back to normal.

"The children are never yours and any decision has to be taken in their interest... and that may mean them returning to their families," explained Mrs Azzopardi who has fostered about four children.

Mrs Azzopardi and her husband, Charles, started fostering 10 years ago when they offered to take care of a little boy who was being cared for by Mrs Azzopardi's sister, who had to go abroad for two years.

The boy used to live in a home and Mrs Azzopardi and her husband took him into their house every weekend. "I used to cry with him on Sunday night when he had to be taken back to the home," she said.

At the time, the fostering system was not set up but there was a system known as social contact.

When the Azzopardis heard that fostering had been introduced they attended a course. They were then introduced to a nine-year-old girl who lived in a home and was longing to be part of a family. The girl is now 20 and still lives with them.

During that period, the family also fostered a girl over weekends and another two-year-old lived with them for three years and has now moved back with her family.

"It's a great satisfaction to see her with her family. The way I see it, we helped the whole family. We are close friends now and still in touch with them. We've enlarged our extended family.

"People need to realise that when they foster they are not doing it for themselves. They should start off with the intention to help a child who deserves to live with a family rather than stay in an institution.

"What matters is giving these children another happy day... What happens tomorrow does not matter. A fostered child might need to be sent back to her family but the most important thing is that it's for the child's own good and it will be another happy day tomorrow," Ms Azzopardi said.

Fostering

Last year, 190 children were in foster care with another 60 living in homes and waiting to be fostered. These children and adolescents usually come from troubled families that may not be able to take care of them for various reasons ranging from health problems to abuse.

The main aim of fostering is to give the children a family environment where to live until their family situation is sorted out. In fact, a foster carer's role is to maintain contact with the family if this is in the child's interest.

Fostering can be short or long term and includes: kinship fostering by relatives; emergency fostering when carers are needed urgently; respite fostering aimed at allowing foster parents to rest and specialised fostering for children with special needs.

Foster carers get a weekly €70 in child benefit and support from government agencies. They are also sent on a course before taking on the commitment and attend regular support sessions.

www.appogg.gov.mt