MASCOTS FROM Dundee’s two senior football clubs helped Barnardo’s Scotland and Dundee City Council kick off a new fostering service yesterday.

The service, which will run alongside the charity’s Side By Side short break scheme, will provide a range of full-time foster placements for youngsters with additional support needs—children who make up around a fifth of those in need of foster homes.

Dee Wok the bear, Dundee’s mascot, and his Tannadice counterparts Tiny and Terry the Terrors put friendly football rivalry to one side to help distribute leaflets in the city centre in a bid to recruit more foster carers.

Side By Side has been offering family-based short break care to children with disabilities in Dundee since 1985, giving them the chance to learn, have new experiences and become independent while giving their families a much-needed break.

Barnardo’s Scotland director Martin Crewe said the vast majority of children thrived in a secure and loving family but added, “Such placements are hard to find, particularly for children who have additional needs, and we hope that foster carers with Side By Side will be able to provide a long-term, stable, loving environment for children and young people.”

Barnardo’s believes there is a clearly identified need for the new service. Dundee has 168 children and young people in foster homes on a full-time basis and around 20% of them have additional support needs such as learning disabilities.

Gail Aboim, a senior adoption and fostering officer at the city council, said children with additional support needs are among the most vulnerable members of society and finding families able to offer them the care and support they needed was not an easy task.

She added, “However, we owe it to these children and young people to make every effort to find suitable families for them.”

Anyone willing to become a foster parent will be given full support and a fee and allowance for each child.

Further details are available by phoning Side By Side on Dundee 228834 or by Emailing sidebyside@barnardos.org.uk.