Foster care is all about giving children and young people a chance. Due to a variety of reasons, many children are forced to act older than their years and carry responsibilities no child should have to cope with. By providing a stable, secure and loving environment, you could give a child a chance to grow up in his own time.
"All recent studies have concluded that institutionalisation is detrimental to children’s development. We must therefore stop placing children in institutions and should strive to ensure that all newborn babies entering the care system are placed in foster homes.
"This is not to detract from the sterling work done by the carers in children’s homes who have provided care and love for the youngsters growing up in institutions. The fact is that science is now proving that this system is not effective in modern society," said Joe Gerada, chief executive officer of the Foundation for Social Welfare.
He was speaking at the conference of the International Foster Care Organisation, hosted by Appogg last week.
"The solution lies in further investment in foster care to build a cohort of trained foster carers ready to take in children as and when needed. We are committed to respecting the Convention of the Rights of the Child and one of these rights is the child’s right to live in a family.
"Providing foster care to those children unable to live with their natural family is one way of progressing from words to action," he added.
I was later provided with a more detailed picture of our fostering services by John Role, service area leader of fostering services within Appogg.
There are presently 160 foster families and Mr Role estimates that to be in a position to place all children under the age of five in foster care, another 60 to 80 foster families are needed.
The agency is careful to ensure that all foster families are suitably trained and after an initial meeting, foster parents are required to attend a six-week training course. This is a "no holds barred" course where prospective carers are introduced to the difficulties children may have lived through before arriving at their home. After completing the course successfully, the family is assessed over eight meetings by professionals from Appogg to ensure that they are fully prepared to take in children. The assessing team is also charged with evaluating the family to help ensure that the child who is eventually placed in this home will be able to fit in.
When a child is placed with a family, the foster care family and child are assigned social workers independently from one another. The child’s social worker will also work with the child’s natural family. Families are also supported through the provision of family therapy and psychological services as needed. Foster carers receive ongoing training and a monthly newsletter as well as having access to reading material and DVDs relating to foster care.
Mr Role has been involved in the provision of fostering services since the organisation’s inception and is keen to see family-based care as the first alternative for babies whose parents are not able to look after them.
"I believe that the Maltese society must realise that the only way forward for these children is to start life within a family environment where they can bond with a secure adult. When parents are unable to give this to their children they must understand that the child needs to start life feeling loved and a sense of belonging to have any chance of future success," he says.
Mr Gerada and Mr Role both agree that when it comes to placing children in care the focus must shift from the parent to the child. The rights of the child must come first; and living in a good family is the right of any child.
• Appogg forms part of the Foundation of Welfare Services. It organises five training courses a year for prospective foster carers with the next one scheduled for the end of January. Further information may be obtained from Mr Role on 2295 9000.
"All recent studies have concluded that institutionalisation is detrimental to children’s development. We must therefore stop placing children in institutions and should strive to ensure that all newborn babies entering the care system are placed in foster homes.
"This is not to detract from the sterling work done by the carers in children’s homes who have provided care and love for the youngsters growing up in institutions. The fact is that science is now proving that this system is not effective in modern society," said Joe Gerada, chief executive officer of the Foundation for Social Welfare.
He was speaking at the conference of the International Foster Care Organisation, hosted by Appogg last week.
"The solution lies in further investment in foster care to build a cohort of trained foster carers ready to take in children as and when needed. We are committed to respecting the Convention of the Rights of the Child and one of these rights is the child’s right to live in a family.
"Providing foster care to those children unable to live with their natural family is one way of progressing from words to action," he added.
I was later provided with a more detailed picture of our fostering services by John Role, service area leader of fostering services within Appogg.
There are presently 160 foster families and Mr Role estimates that to be in a position to place all children under the age of five in foster care, another 60 to 80 foster families are needed.
The agency is careful to ensure that all foster families are suitably trained and after an initial meeting, foster parents are required to attend a six-week training course. This is a "no holds barred" course where prospective carers are introduced to the difficulties children may have lived through before arriving at their home. After completing the course successfully, the family is assessed over eight meetings by professionals from Appogg to ensure that they are fully prepared to take in children. The assessing team is also charged with evaluating the family to help ensure that the child who is eventually placed in this home will be able to fit in.
When a child is placed with a family, the foster care family and child are assigned social workers independently from one another. The child’s social worker will also work with the child’s natural family. Families are also supported through the provision of family therapy and psychological services as needed. Foster carers receive ongoing training and a monthly newsletter as well as having access to reading material and DVDs relating to foster care.
Mr Role has been involved in the provision of fostering services since the organisation’s inception and is keen to see family-based care as the first alternative for babies whose parents are not able to look after them.
"I believe that the Maltese society must realise that the only way forward for these children is to start life within a family environment where they can bond with a secure adult. When parents are unable to give this to their children they must understand that the child needs to start life feeling loved and a sense of belonging to have any chance of future success," he says.
Mr Gerada and Mr Role both agree that when it comes to placing children in care the focus must shift from the parent to the child. The rights of the child must come first; and living in a good family is the right of any child.
• Appogg forms part of the Foundation of Welfare Services. It organises five training courses a year for prospective foster carers with the next one scheduled for the end of January. Further information may be obtained from Mr Role on 2295 9000.