A number of information events are to be held in Armagh city centre to encourage more people to come forward as foster carers.
Speaking to Armagh I Melanie Coffey, Family Placement Senior Manager with Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI) explained that there is an ever-growing need for foster carers – particularly in more centralised areas like Armagh.
Said Melanie: “Essentially there’s a need for more carers and, as hard as we work to try to get people in to be carers, there’s always an increase in the number of children and a decrease in the number of carers.
“We work really hard to put the message out there that people can work and they can be single carers and we provide allowances so they shouldn’t be out of pocket.
“We do different things and take different approaches to try and get people on board and one of those things is Foster Care Comes to Town. So rather than spreading ourselves across different areas, diluting what we do, we try to focus on one area and identify areas where we feel there is specific need.”
Armagh, as the most central point in the Trust area, has been identified as an area with specific need and has become a focus of their current recruitment campaign.
“We are currently focusing on Armagh specifically based on ethical reasons rather than stats or numbers because it is a central area,” Melanie explained.
“If we were in a very luxurious position, where we had carers to choose from, what we would be doing ideally is matching children to placements so that they are nearer their school, clubs and sports and don’t have to be uprooted from their community and friends. But that’s not really happening a lot.”
Children and young people may rely on foster care for many reasons including neglect, abuse, disability, or the ill health of birth parents. Understandably, proximity to schools, sports clubs and communities plays a massage part in helping foster children adjust.
Whatever the reason, foster carers are ordinary people who make an extraordinary difference by opening up their hearts and homes and so – to express their gratitude – HSCNI recently held an ‘Appreciation Day’ for foster carers and children at Armagh’s Athletics Grounds.
Melanie added: “We met with a few of the players as a reward to foster carers and as acknowledgement as well for a lot of those kids who maybe wouldn’t have got the chance to go to the games.
“The cup was there and a couple hundred people attended so it was a really successful evening.”
Among them were foster carers Stephen and Fay Neville from Armagh. The couple were happy to describe what fostering means to them: “It’s about being able to help other young people, we wanted to make a difference. We wanted to keep siblings together, and in doing that we’ve made our own family complete! It’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made, we are proud to call ourselves foster carers.”
And, joining the campaign in encouraging others to come forward they said: “We have had such a positive experience, to have the pleasure of supporting young people to reach their potential is an absolute gift. We have met so many people and really feel part of the fostering community.
“If you’re thinking about fostering- don’t hesitate on finding out more information, speak to other foster carers and give it a go!”
The next information event is due to be held at Armagh City Hotel’s Syndicate Room on Thursday October 24 from 7pm – 9pm.
They will also have Drop In Information Stands on Friday October 25, from noon to 5pm in Vibe Cafe 1 Barrack Street and on Saturday October 26, from 8.30am to 1pm in Orchard Leisure Centre.
