Sadly, for one reason or another, it is sometimes just not possible for a child to remain in his or her home and, in these cases, foster care is the main form of alternative care provided by the HSE.
Most people never even think of providing such long term help for a needy child, yet many of you reading this would probably make very good foster parents. Do/did you interact well with your children’s friends? Do/did you take an active role in entertaining them? Can/could you deal calmly with minor crises like falls, cuts, arguments? Foster parents aren’t super-mums and – dads. We just need loving, generous and, sometimes, patient people – its different from raising your own children but just as rewarding.
As a foster parent, you would be part of an expert team. Each fostering family has two ‘LINK’ workers attached, expert social workers, one for the parent(s) and a separate one for the child. HSE also provides weekly funding: €312 for a child under 12 and €339 after. Normally this ends when the child reaches eighteen, but if the young person is in college or training, funding may continue.
HSE wants the vulnerable children who need fostering to have the best possible chance of a normal life and takes very seriously its duty to ensure that potential foster parents are of sound character, so be prepared for a searching interview process.
