Foster carers in Dundee have been the unsung heroes of the pandemic, council chiefs have said.
In an appeal for more people to come forward and apply for the role, head of children’s service and community justice Glyn Lloyd and councillor Roisin Smith have been praising their efforts over the past year.
The role, they say, has helped provide a safe environment for young people to flourish since the pandemic began.
There are currently more than 80 foster carers across city, caring for around 150 children between them.
“You need an anchor”
The pandemic has meant that the usual challenges that come with caring for a foster child have been “intensified”, Glyn said.
He explained: “Often we have had to restrict contact visits with the children’s own birth families because of the risk of infection, so there has been added challenges.
“And given that schools have been closed, that creates a different set of expectations and pressures and they have had to cope with that.”
However despite the challenges, very few foster care placements in the city have broken down during the pandemic.
This stability offered by foster carers to vulnerable children has always been a key element of the role they play but during the pandemic it has been more important than ever.
‘Care boxes’ to be handed out to Dundee youngsters leaving foster homes
Glyn said: “Care experienced children have had the experience of being removed from their birth family so they’ve already got the issues that it creates.
“With so much change and uncertainty, you need an anchor. You need a safe, stable base and that is what they have provided.
“We see that as the result of the stable and nurturing placements, they go onto do really well at school and got into college and university.”
“We want to say thank-you”
The role played by foster carers in Dundee during the pandemic has been “phenomenal” councillor Smith, who is the depute convenor of the children and family services, said.
And because of the work they have done, both Glyn and councillor Smith were eager to express their thanks.
Councillor Smith said: “There are so many hidden roles that maybe people aren’t quite aware of who have done so much to provide a safe environment for our young people to flourish.
“We want to say thank you to them for the phenomenal job they have done under difficult circumstances.
“We also want to try and increase the number of foster carers because they play such an important role.”
Glyn added: “We rightly celebrate the roles of nurses and other public sector workers, but foster carers are not necessarily fully acknowledged.”
How can you become a foster carer?
Although there are currently around 150 children cared for by foster families in Dundee, in total there is 500 looked after children across the city.
To try and ensure as many of them are cared for in a family based setting, Glyn and Roisin are appealing for would-be foster carers to apply for the role.
Glyn said: “They would have to contact us in the first instance. We would then carry out an assessment which focuses on their motivation and parenting capacity.
“Once they’ve gone through this, they continue to receive support and bespoke training relevant to their individual needs.
“So there is an assessment, there’s support and there is ongoing training.”
Foster carers do receive a financial help for their role, but it’s working with the young people that is often the biggest reward.
Glyn added: “When we speak to foster carers, many of whom have worked with us for many years, they speak of how hugely fulfilling it is.”
Stop young people falling through the cracks
As well as appealing for anyone who is interested in becoming a foster carer to come forward, councillor Smith also urged people to report any concerns they may have regarding the welfare of children.
She said: “There is a lot of work done by Glyn’s team to try and ensure that none of the young people will fall through the cracks.
“That’s been a massively important piece of work, particularly during the pandemic where children are not going to school.
“If anybody has any concerns about any young people in our city we would encourage people to get in touch to make sure support is in place.”
