Foster Care !

Once again the fate of children under the care of the state is getting a bad press.   A girl in a care institution was repeatedly raped by the very people tasked with looking after her.  She later died of a drug overdose and the DPP is resisting putting her rapists before a court despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt.

In another instance a young girl living with a carer family succumbed to the sexual advances of a male step-brother and there was the fear of a pregnancy.   The family response was to murder the girl and leave her naked body on a beach.   The step-father is facing a murder charge and the step-brother a charge of rape on a person under the age of consent.

The government is threatening dire action to cleanup the stench that has long hovered over foster care.   Government run care homes have had their share of scandal and those run by the various church denominations seem to have been rife with rapist priests and ministers.   Perhaps the greatest safety has come from ordinary families who have opened their hearts - and their homes - to take in the needy and give them the benefit of their happy home, but even here the occasional mismatch has ended in tragedy.

The government faces an impossible task.   Those needing care range in age from newborn babies to juveniles in their teens.   Many little kids have experienced violence and suffered the fighting between parents addicted to alcohol or drugs.  Many have suffered deprivation and hunger - and regularly gone to bed cold and hungry.   They have developed survival tactics - and that can not merge swiftly when they encounter a caring facility.

It is not unusual for some families to have a tolerant attitude to sex.  Many experience sexual intrusion by so called "uncles " or other family members and actual incest is prevalent in some cultures.   Many teens are of the "wild child " sort who have developed a craving for alcohol or drugs - and think casual sex is perfectly normal.   Providing care for such a mix would test the outer limits of any care institution.

Probably the safest option is some sort of government run institution that is run by professional staff and is subjected to strict oversight.   The problem is that it can only be seen as an "institution " and that can not provide the individual love and care that each waif so badly needs to gain confidence and develop their potential.   It is also impossible to mix the range of ages in a single care home without the possibility that the older children will become the predators of the younger age group.

It seems that the only available option is to stick with the mix of what we have - government care institutions supplemented by care homes provided by the various church and charitable organizations, and the wide mix of private citizens who make themselves available to offer shelter in their own homes.

The missing link is the creation of a supervising body of people with the training to regularly visit each place of care and have the time to spend conversational periods with each of those under care and also liaise with the carers.  It is essential that these people have the ability to generate the confidence of the cared and not be seen as government "inspectors " merely carrying out a government function.

Obviously, creating such a body will cost money, but in the long run it will be the cheapest option to resolve the problem.   What we have in place is workable.   What it needs is a conduit to listen to those in care and have the power to make whatever changes are necessary, and to provide guidelines where necessary to those people who are  providing care.

If that is going to work it will need the government to be realistic on numbers.  There is no point in having liaison people with such workloads that they can make a one minute call once every three months.   There may be a tendency to appoint those with tertiary qualifications in child care.  It may be better to recruit from charitable members of the public who would provide their services free of charge, or in exchange for a petrol allowance.

 The main attribute such "visitors "will need is a kind heart and a wise mind - and the ability to be good listeners - and to range over the full spectrum of care facilities !