There are currently 31 children living with 24 foster families in Guernsey and the number of children coming into care keeps rising, so the need for new foster families is as important as ever. Having become aware of Foster Care Fortnight, which takes place from 13th to 26th May 2024, I took the opportunity to have a chat with Senior Supervising Social Worker Vicki Tennant, and an experienced Guernsey foster carer, also called Vicky, to get a first-hand perspective of the highs and lows that fostering can bring.
What is Foster Care Fortnight?
Foster Care Fortnight is an annual UK initiative which Guernsey’s Family Placement Service align with, to highlight foster care in the Bailiwick, and to encourage the local community to consider fostering a child or young person.
I discussed with Vicki Tennant the reason why children can require a foster family, and she explained that fostering offers children and young people a home when they are unable to live with their birth family. This can be due to a large number of reasons, including a parent’s illness or another problem which means they can’t be cared for by their own family. Some children may have witnessed domestic violence or drug abuse, and others may have been abused or neglected. Each child’s circumstances and needs are different, but as she stressed, every child has the right to have their needs met within their own community, together with their siblings if they have any.
Sometimes children only stay with a foster family for a few days, while others will live with their foster family for their entire childhood and beyond.
I naively asked how many children are waiting for a foster family in Guernsey, but she said there isn’t a number as it can change daily depending on family circumstances, and they have to react very quickly when a child urgently needs placing with a foster family, and ideally, they would have a number of approved foster families ready to take in a child/teen when required. The Family Placement Service hopes that raising awareness of the need for foster families during Foster Care Fortnight, will encourage adults to consider if fostering could be right for them, whether it’s something they’ve considered for some time or it’s something completely new to consider.
Teenagers
There is currently an urgent need for foster carers who can care for teenagers, as they want to ensure that teens can get the support they need, whilst still establishing their own independence in a safe and secure way.
When talking with Vicki about this, she said that due to the lack of foster carers for this age group in Guernsey, teens are being housed in small residential group homes whilst waiting for a family home placement, and that they would much prefer to have the option of foster carers, so these children can benefit from a home environment.
Who can become a foster carer?
Vicki spoke very passionately about the significant difference that foster carers make to the lives of fostered children, saying that they help them to flourish, which ultimately changes their future. There is no set mould for a foster carer, they can be from any walk of life, any gender, any sexual orientation, they can already have children or have no children, and can live anywhere on the island, including in social housing. The only absolute must is that foster carers have a spare room for the foster child, it is important that they have their own space within the home.
I asked Vicki if foster carers get paid, and she said that all expenses for the foster child are covered, to ensure that money is not a barrier to someone becoming a foster carer.
To be a foster carer Vicki said you need to have the ability to emotionally attach to a child whilst being aware that you will not become their legal parent, instead you would be supporting a child for the time they need it. You need to be open minded, have an understanding that all children are different and will require different approaches, open to training and support from a social worker, along with a sense of humour!
One of the things I hadn’t thought about before, is that the whole family needs to be on-board if you are considering bringing a foster child into your home. It cannot be one person in the home that is the foster carer and the rest of the family go about their business, it doesn’t work like that, full family support is required, and all adults in the home need to complete the application process and training.
What is it like being a foster carer?
I had a pre-conceived idea that it would be much harder to be a foster carer for a teen, however, it was fascinating talking to Vicky, an experienced foster carer in Guernsey, who said that she has found it more rewarding fostering teenagers than a younger child, and I was keen to find out why.
Meeting Vicky, I was surprised how young she was, she is in her 30’s and has been a foster carer for a number of years. She explained how she had a son from a previous relationship, then met a partner (who had older children) who had had a very rewarding experience helping rehome children from the Chenoble disaster. This led to them agreeing that they would like to foster a child the same age as Vicky’s son, and after completing the application process and training, they started with short-break foster care to gently ease her son into it. The initial placements were very successful and they haven’t looked back since.
Coming out of lockdown, Vicky and her partner were approached to see if they would care for a 16 year old boy, and she admits that they were initially very apprehensive as it was not something they had considered. She explained that it turned out to be a very rewarding experience, and after 6 months with the family, the teenage boy moved to the UK with his own family, and Vicky is now fostering a teenage girl who has been with her for 18 months. Vicky explained how it’s very different having a teen, rather than a younger child because they already have established friendship groups and can see the foster home as only somewhere to sleep, meaning you can be kept at arms length and it can be very challenging, however, she said it is also the reason she has found it more rewarding.
I asked Vicky what the stand-out rewarding moments have been (I was thinking some big milestones, e.g. passing exams etc) however, she looked a bit blankly at me and said it’s not the big things, it’s the little things, like the teenage girl they are currently fostering, talking to them about her school day (whereas previously she would not tell them anything) and when she calls them when she is out to let them know what she’s doing. Vicky said being let into her life means more to them than anything because it shows that she trusts them. Vicky talked very fondly about the time at Christmas when the teenage boy they fostered surprised them when he turned up at their front door with his new girlfriend and how proud she was of him and what he had achieved.
I felt very in awe of Vicky and her family (she now has a baby girl with her partner) and the fact they are making a real difference to children’s lives. When I expressed my admiration for what she does. She just shrugged like it was no big deal. The island needs more people like Vicky, so if you think it could be you, please get in touch with the Family Placement Service on 223182 or at familyplacementservice@gov.gg or visit their website www.guernseyfostercare.com
Support Lodging Mentors for 18-21yr olds
Alongside foster carers for teenagers, the Family Placement Service is also looking for individuals and families to become Supported Lodgings Mentors as they are looking to recruit to their new Supported Lodgings scheme. This is a service which has been shown to improve long term outcomes by ensuring continued support for young people as they move into adulthood. It is specifically designed to offer an additional provision for young people leaving care who may not be ready to live alone.
Mentors offer accommodation as well as guidance and assistance to young people, aged 18-21 years old. This will enable them to develop practical life skills, alongside further developing their emotional maturity to move on and to be better equipped to living independently, although this will not incur the same responsibility as a foster carer, it can be equally as rewarding.
Find out more
If you would like to know more about the possibility of becoming a foster carer or a Support Lodgings Mentor, please visit guernseyfostercare.com for more info, or phone us on 01481 223182 or e-mail the team at familyplacementservice@gov.gg
The Family Placement Service will be holding drop-in sessions where members of the public can have an opportunity to speak to someone from the service over the course of Foster Care Fortnight. The dates and venues are as follows:
• Beau Sejour Leisure Centre – Monday 20th May 3pm-7pm
• Town, Market Square – Friday 24th May 12pm-2pm.
