30 October 2014
Islanders are being urged to find out more about fostering or adopting a child.
Fostering and Adoption Jersey are launching a recruitment and awareness campaign this week to attract adopters and long term foster carers for young people and teenagers with additional needs.
The local campaign coincides with National Adoption Week in the UK which runs from 3 to 9 November.
Drop in sessions
The fostering and adoption team will be holding drop in sessions at 62 Halkett Place (opposite Pizza Express). If you're interested in finding out more, come and meet members of the team.
The drop in centre will be open from 9:30am to 4pm on:
- Friday 7 November
- Saturday 8 November
Finding families for children with additional needs
Fostering and Adoption Jersey, which is part of Health and Social Services, wants to encourage people to come forward to offer their long term commitment to children in Jersey who need families to look after them, particularly those with additional needs.
An 'additional need' can be a very specific disability or a general delay in a child’s development. These children thrive in adoptive families, which makes looking after them a very rewarding experience.
Sarah Michael, senior social worker for adoption and permanence said “We also want people to contact us if they are considering offering a permanent home to a child who is a little older, for example teenagers.
“Although adoption for older children is generally not suitable, at this crucial time in their lives they can benefit enormously from a secure base with foster carers who can help them to move to independence once the time is right.
Rewarding and challenging
“While providing a permanent home for a child is a rewarding experience, this can also be challenging at times. In recognition of this, the Fostering and Adoption Team offers extensive preparation, training and ongoing support to islanders who want to consider this.”
Sarah added "We are looking for all sorts of people so please don’t think we’ll turn you down because you’re over 40, single, or don’t own your own home. What we really need are people who can offer a child or brothers and sisters a loving and supportive family for life. We need people who can help a child recover from the reasons why they came in to care and can help them go on to thrive in a new family.”
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