York foster care campaign hailed

4:37pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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DOZENS more children will be able to stay in York to be fostered - thanks to a campaign backed by The Press.

At the end of last year we ran a series of articles about becoming foster parents due to a shortage of suitable homes for children in the York area.

The articles included interviews with foster families in York and also with Mary McKelvey, of City of York Council's family placement team.

On the back of the publicity, the city council has revealed it had 67 inquiries from single people and couples interested in offering a home to vulnerable children and teenagers. Of those, 12 households decided to attend preparation courses and, of those, ten were in the process of being assessed as potential foster carers.

If they are successful this means that over the coming years, dozens and dozens of children will be able to remain in their home city if it is found their natural parents are no longer able to look after them. This may be because of ill-health or because of concerns about the child's safety.

Mrs McKelvey said: "We're delighted with the response from the campaign. To get ten households going forward to the assessment stage is fantastic news for the team, but also for vulnerable young people in York who need the support of a foster carer.

"I'd like to thank all those who expressed and interest in becoming a foster carer, and the team at The Press, who worked so hard to publicise the campaign."

Maureen Earl, of Haxby, is new to fostering and took on her first charge, a three-month-old baby boy, back in October.

Mrs Earl, 61, said fostering was something she had been considering before she retired, but did not think she would be accepted.

She said: "I didn't realise I could do it. I was looking just before I retired and I was thinking they would never have me at my age and that they wouldn't want to know. I put it off and then somebody said if you don't make any inquiries you won't know."

Mrs Earl, who has two grown-up children and five grandchildren, specified that she only wanted to foster young children up to the age of five. She said: "I just thought I had a home, I had time, I had love, I had a whole lot of things I could maybe give a child that maybe needed somewhere to be with affection and safety."

The only bad thing about fostering, she said, was that she knew at some time in the future the baby she had fostered would go to a new home, but that was what fostering was all about.

She added: "I really would recommend that people who have thought about it to go forward and try it."

Anyone who is interested in offering foster care to children should phone 01904 555333.