Shelter from the storm

Could you take on the challenge of fostering a child with emotional and family problems? The shortage of foster carers is now greater than ever. Laura Burkin reports on how a Redbridge charity is trying to improve the situation for Jewish children.

PROVIDING a loving and secure home is just one of the ways a foster carer can help a child.

Nationally, the need for foster carers is greater than ever and nowhere more so than in Redbridge, where a children and family care charity is appealing for carers to foster children from the borough's large Jewish community.

The Norwood Ravenswood charity, which has a branch in Barkingside, is looking for families of Jewish origin who would be able to take a youngster into their home and give them love, security and happiness.

Despite a plea for Jewish foster homes earlier this year, there is still a great need for carers to come forward.

Now the organisation has launched a campaign for foster carers to enable them to take in up to 15 or more youngsters a year.

Leading the scheme is Jacky Gordon, head of family placement services.

She said: There is a shortage that is also happening nationally. It's particularly worse where we're trying to place youngsters between the ages of 10 and 16.

We are looking for families to take in Jewish children with challenging behaviour, youngsters who have disabilities, who are not attending school, and brothers and sisters whom we would like to keep together.

Ms Gordon says the new fostering scheme will aim to recruit four to six families who will be working together to offer each other help and support.

Norwood Ravenswood staff will offer regular sessions in which each carer will talk about the child or children they are caring for.

The scheme will pay a carer and their families £326 a week while they have a child in their care.

Before becoming a foster carer, an applicant will attend a series of preparation groups, where staff will talk to them about what is involved.

Sara Lurie, senior social worker for the family placement team, said: Foster carers can be traditional families, mother, father and children, they can also be single parents or single people with special experience and a love of looking after children.

The most important things a foster carer can give are time, space, care and love to a child.

Ms Lurie said there are children with many different needs who are in need of a foster parent and home.

Typical cases the team has worked with include a brother and sister, Hannah, nine, and 11-year-old Michael.

The pair had been living in London with their mother, who was suffering from mental health problems. While she is in hospital undergoing psychiatric assessment, the children are with foster carers and it is not yet know if they will return home.

Another example is Adam, born with Downs syndrome, whose parents initially could not cope with his condition. The youngster went to a foster home where he received much love and attention while his parents received support from a social worker. He is now back with his birth parents and is thriving.

Brothers Joshua and Jacob were underweight and in need of love and care, when they were placed with a foster carer. They are now two very happy boys who continue to flourish.

Ms Gordon said: We would still like to hear from non-Jewish families, as sometimes authorities ask us about placing non-Jewish children in foster care. However we are looking mostly for Jewish families, because we would like to place Jewish children in an environment where they can be supported in keeping their faith.

We're looking for Jewish foster carers for children who have been hard to place. We're particularly interested in recruiting families from Redbridge as the borough has such a large Jewish population.

One foster carer told me that the other day as she was tucking her foster child into bed, she asked if there was anything she needed and if she was OK.

She also asked if there was anything, as her foster carer, she could do to make things better. The child snuggled down into the bed and said with a big contented sigh, no thankyou, I'm very happy.

Ms Gordon added: This is what we are looking to provide many more children with, by finding more foster carers and enabling them to enjoy a happy and loving home.

The organisation has had a fostering service running since the 1980s but believes foster care is now more challenging, if only to cope with the many different needs of children today.

Within the new scheme, fosterers will be wholly supported by Norwood Ravenswood in all aspects of their role as foster carers. While the team tries to return the child to its birth parents if possible, many are often later adopted or stay in a foster home for a considerable time.

Ms Gordon said: If people are thinking about fostering for the first time and feel daunted, don't. We will provide all the support and help that is needed. There will be nothing that can't be talked about.

Last year the organisation had 10 children it could not place in a home, because of a lack of carers. Now it hopes that with the new scheme and financial help given to potential foster carers, it will be able to find as many children as they can a loving home.

FOR information on the Norwood Ravenswood fostering scheme, contact 8420 6914.

By.Laura Burkin