East Lancashire foster carer’s appeal to help the neglected

5:11pm Friday 16th May 2008

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A FOSTER carer has spoken of how providing a stable home life for neglected children gives them the chance to flourish at school.

The woman, who has cared for more than 40 children, is urging more people to help make a fundamental difference to a child's life.

Carol, who cannot be identified for confidentiality reasons, described how important fostering is to children's education to mark the launch of Fostering Fortnight yesterday.

The 49-year-old fostered her first child 16 years ago, and has since provided love and care for between 40 and 50 youngsters from across East Lancashire, aged from pre-school to 11.

She is currently caring for four children from Hyndburn and Ribble Valley areas.

Carol said: "There are lots of reasons why kids need fostering, but sometimes it is because they've been neglected. This means that a lot haven't had regular school for one reason or another.

"When they come to live with me, they go to school regularly, they have regular meals, and develop the social skills many are lacking when they arrive.

"I look after younger children, and it is at that time of life that you need to have the building blocks for education - instilling a good attitude in those formative years can mean they do well throughout secondary school, without that stability they can struggle."

She said that although there can be frustrations involved, the rewards of fostering far outweigh them. Carol, a single parent who decided to foster when her daughter Natalie, now 19, was four years old, said: "The rewards are wonderful, the difference you can make to children's lives is remarkable, you see them blossom by being made to feel important and loved.

"Fostering is a vocation really, not just a volunteer thing.

She added: "Natalie has been a wonderful help with them; fostering makes your own child much more aware early on of how others are in so much need.

"I would definitely encourage more people to do it, there is a lack of good foster carers."

Malcolm Phillips, of the National Foster Care Association, said: "Children who are looked after by the local authority have statistically lower achievement at school, which is down to all sorts of factors including the social groups they are from.

"But all research shows that their chances are vastly improved when they are fostered by a dedicated and loving family."