THIS
STORY LAST UPDATED: 13 February 2004 1035 GMT
Taking Care in Wiltshire |
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| Taking
Care in Wiltshire |
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With
the launch of the BBC's Taking Care season, which tells the moving
and inspiring stories of children growing up in care, Wiltshire County
Council has put out an appeal for community-spirited people to come
forward. |
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Taking
Care is a major new season being launched by the BBC which explores
a different kind of childhood.
Through a range of powerful and surprising programmes Taking Care
goes behind the statistics to tell the moving and inspiring stories
of both children currently growing up in care and adult care leavers
who have gone on, despite adversity, to achieve both personal and
professional success.
In the UK there are over 60,000 children, 0.4% of the child population,
currently in care.
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| Melinda
Messenger is a champion for the idea of adoption and even approached
Swindon Social Services to see if she would be eligible to become
a foster mum. |
The legacy
of abuse in children's homes in the 80s has led to a swing towards
fostering with the majority of children (68%) in care being placed
with fosters carers.
But with a lack of suitable homes (national shortage of 7,800, Fostering
Network) many fostered children end up experiencing instability as
they frequently get moved around.
In fact one in five can end up with placements outside their local
authority boundary [DfES 2002/3] as a result of a lack of foster or
residential care in their home authority.
In Wiltshire there are 143 registered foster carers looking after
81% of the 275 children being looked after in the county.
But as with the rest of the country Wiltshire County Council are calling
for more community-spirited people to come forward.
Foster carers are not only needed for long-term and short-term fostering
but for fostering young people who are on bail or on remand.
And it's not just foster carers that are in needed.
There are many ways to help. You can become an independent visitor,
for children looked after by the local authority, or a mentor to help
young offenders.
‘Independent visitors’ offer support by visiting, regularly, listening
and offering advice when it is needed to young people, being looked
after by the county council, and by attending case reviews with them.
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One
of the most valuable and worthwhile things they could do would
be to offer their help and support to children and young people
who are in need. 
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| John
Woodhouse
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Wiltshire’s
youth offending team also offers opportunities for people to act as
mentors to help young people who need support making changes in their
lives.
Following training, mentors can be asked to take part in voluntary
work with young people for up to two hours a week for up to a year.
Mentors receive training, support and supervision, and expenses.
According to John Woodhouse, children’s rights officer at Wiltshire
County Council, the support is invaluable:
“One of the most valuable and worthwhile things they could do would
be to offer their help and support to children and young people who
are in need.
“There are lots of different ways they could help, from fostering
to acting as mentors to young offenders.”
If you want to find out how you can help there is an information pack
containing details of all the schemes mentioned above available by
phoning 0800 1696321 or you can call the same number for an
informal chat.
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