|
Fostering: a career that changes lives
More foster carers are needed to help care for children and young people in Hull. Here, foster carer Colin Hopkins tells his story...
 |
Colin Hopkins and his wife Paula read with their daughters Chelsea (9) and Courteney (3) |
"After 15 years with the police in Humberside and Greater Manchester, and working for the Ministry of Defence, I had to give up my career when I was diagnosed with a heart condition.
Finding myself at home, with time on my hands, I needed something to do and after speaking to my wife Paula we decided to give fostering a try.
Over the last eight years, we've fostered twelve kids, and at the moment we are fostering two girls, one aged 18 and a six month old baby, and that's in addition to bringing up our own children, Christopher who is 16 and our two girls, Chelsea and Courteney, who are nine and three.
We are usually busy with the kids and we recently moved into a new four-bedroom house in east Hull to accommodate them all.
Paula and I love fostering and we feel privileged to have the children in our home.
It's such a great thing to do because you can see the difference you are making to a child's life.
Fostering takes time – foster carers must be committed, and not give up at the first sign of problems.
It was scary when we first started and felt like we were going into the unknown, but we have enjoyed every minute of it and have never looked back.
Some of the children may have been neglected in the past so they need a safe, secure, welcoming and caring environment.
You have to treat them like one of your own and it's important for foster kids to feel like part of the family.
When they come into your home and you get the first smile from them and you see the positive change in their lives you just get so much out of it.
Children can be fostered for a period of days, months, weeks, or years and you have to give them the best care you can.
I now work with the council's fostering team and take part in presentations to promote fostering to prospective foster carers.
This means I help to recruit new foster carers and I help with training and mentoring.
Hopefully, Paula and I will have many more years of fostering ahead of us."
Foster Care Fortnight
 |
walking together on a path near Hedon Road, east Hull |
Fostering provides care for children who cannot live with their parents or extended family, often for a variety of reasons.
Colin will be the public face of fostering during Foster Care Fortnight, which takes place this year from May 11-24, and will appear on buses and posters across the city.
"Foster carers do a vital job in the lives of children," says Cllr Christine Randall, the Deputy Leader of Hull City Council.
"We need more foster carers and I hope more people give fostering a try as it can change lives for the better." Foster carers are paid a weekly allowance of up to £328.21 to cover the cost of looking after children in their own home, depending on the age of the child.
Over time, part of the allowance rises to reflect a foster carer's increasing skills and experience.
Foster carer allowances do not affect most benefits as it is an allowance rather than an income.
Foster carers also receive:
- a personal worker for their family
- specialised support 365 days a year 24 hours a day
- an extensive and flexible training programme with the opportunity to study for an NVQ
- respite care and babysitting allowance
- a computer and subsidised broadband internet
- Tonic cards for free or reduced rate activities at all council leisure sites
- social events and monthly newsletters
- support groups for foster carers and their children
To foster you need:
- a spare bedroom
- to be aged 21 or over
- the motivation and empathy to look after a child in need
- to be a non-smoking household for children aged three or under
You don't need:
- to be married or in a relationship – single people can foster
- to own your own house
- to be a parent
- to give up work, as part-time fostering options for weekends and holidays are available
Staff and foster carers will be available to answer question on a roving information stand, open all day on:
- Wednesday May 13
North Point Shopping Centre
- Friday May 15
Princes Quay Shopping Centre
- Saturday May 16
Lord Mayor's Parade in East Park
- Saturday May 23
Ferens Art Gallery, Live Art Space
- Saturday May 30
Fost Fest, Queen Victoria Square
|
