One in three foster children placed over 20 miles from Swindon
Swindon Borough Council has less and less foster carers
One third of children currently in the care of Swindon Borough Council are placed outside the local area.
With a total of just over 300 foster children in Swindon, this means that around 100 children live more than 20 miles away from family and friends.
The reason for this is that barriers and misconceptions lead many people to believe they would not be eligible for the job.
Marieanna MacPherson from the authority’s fostering team told Greatest Hits Radio: “From my experience, which is five years, we’ve been quite stable in Swindon with the amount of children that need to be cared for but not as many people come forward to be foster carers as have done historically.
“That can be due to a multitude of reason. People don’t have spare bedrooms, so they don’t believe they can accommodate a child but there are different types of fostering, so that might not be an issue. More people work full time, so they think that’s a barrier. But again, it depends on the age of the child they look after.”
Other misconceptions include not owning their own home, not having their own children, not being in a relationship, being too old or having health conditions.
'We need more'
While every case is different with many different factors playing a role, “in most cases, it’s not a barrier”.
“I know that being a foster carer is a significant commitment, and it is natural to have questions before you choose to apply”, added Councillor Paul Dixon, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care.
“Our foster carers make a real difference to the lives of local children, but we need more. By having more foster carers, we’ll be able to place young people closer to home meaning they will not have to move away from friends and family during what is often already a difficult time.”
Different types of fostering can include classic short and long term fostering as well as taking care of children during planned breaks to give parents some time off, supporting both parent and child, and emergency duty for a maximum of eight days.
“Fostering has been everything we had expected. It’s been so rewarding at times and I feel that we’ve had a really positive experience overall”, said Sarah who has been a foster carer for over five years.
“Fostering isn’t about just caring for the child, it’s been providing everything they need, from the basics in life, to love, understanding and compassion. We really hope we can give the children the best of everything and that they have the happiness they truly deserve.”