Not too old to foster……

We are about to embark on a campaign ‘not too old to foster’, which has been triggered by the many people who say ‘oooh, I’m too old now, I expect……?’.

In a timely fashion, I have come across this article in a BAAF circular:

40 years of fostering and still holding the babies

Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/40-years-of-fostering-and-still-holding-the-babies-9273470.html?origin=internalSearch

John, 78, and Mary, 74, work as specialist foster parents to babies awaiting adoption. The couple tell Kate Hilpern that they have no plans to retire, even after 40 years of caring for children…

What a wonderful read and perfect testament to underscore our campaign.

We already know the value of the more mature foster carer, we have a few who we have approved and they bring a quality to our diverse pool which is invaluable. As we say in our editorial:

Chrysalis Care value the life experience and wisdom that older people can bring to the fostering role and some children and young people respond better and thrive more easily in family homes where they can settle down in a stable environment with calm, relaxed foster carers who are able to offer them their full attention.

With the airing of the TV programme ‘Amazing Greys’ and the inspiration this can bring, is it any wonder that people feel able to meet the challenge to foster in their later years? As we say in our campaign:

At the point of retiring, life is headed for change one way or another! However, plans of slowing down may be far from your mind and you may be preparing yourself for a new challenge.

Could that new challenge be to become a foster carer for Chrysalis Care?

Joanna Oliver
Strategic Development Executive

Is Linda Nolan alone?

I’m not an avid fan of Celebrity Big Brother but a recent headline did catch my eye, where Linda Nolan expressed concern that the perception of her post-CBB would have a detrimental effect on her fostering role. She has been quoted as saying: “…. I hope this won't cause any problems with my fostering... I've been very up front and they know me very well now.... I don't think it will be anything horrendous - except perhaps some of the language - but I never swear in front of children anyway."

But is Linda Nolan alone in her concerns? This is not the first time that I have reflected on the challenge of fostering, where perhaps more than most professions, the personal/professional interplay is blurred and where foster carers, in essence, are not entitled to a ‘private’ life. Their home is their workplace and their family are their colleagues and when it comes to the care of a child who is looked after, there is no such thing as ‘behind close doors’. In a professional context where transparency is key, I cannot help but wonder how this could perpetuate a Machiavellian-style professional cloak.

I’d safely bet that many of us would flinch at the prospect of having a torch light, let alone TV cameras, shining on us 24 hours a day. So is Linda Nolan alone? How do foster carers preserve their own identity, which may be different to their professional persona? When do they have the time to release? For many of us, when we ‘slip up’, we put it down to being human….are foster carers ever really afforded the same?

Joanna Oliver
Strategic Development Executive