Children who need fostering

Jake and Caitlin are 8 and 5 years old. They are active children who enjoy being outside. Jake likes superheroes and is often found dressed up as Superman.

Caitlin enjoys colouring and drawing, and her current carers joked that any new carers needing ‘plenty of paper’ for her.

Both children enjoy playing card games like snap together.

Sadly, Jake and Caitlin came into the care of the local authority in May 2019 after experiencing emotional abuse. The children are in need of a long-term foster family who can provide the stability they deserve, whilst enabling them to stay together.

Jake’s current carers tell us that he always wants to be helpful around the house and has a very caring nature. Caitlin’s current foster carers say she is cheerful and confident, but she needs security and nurturing by her carers. Both children are progressing well at school and require support with their learning, as do all children, to continue to reach their potential.

Jake likes to read and is currently exploring Roald Dahl books. Caitlin enjoys playing with her dolls, caring for them and doing their hair. Both Jake and Caitlin love animals and their current carer has a dog which they love. The children recently visited some rabbits and would love one of their own!

Aanya is 13 years old. Aanya’s current carers say she is an ‘absolute pleasure to carer for and a joy to be around. She is happy, bubbly and friendly and loves to talk. She responds well to structure and routine and likes to have a plan for her week.’

Aanya has an incentive chart in place and generally achieves her reward on a week to week basis and is very positive in her day-to-day outlook.

Aanya was brought up as Hindu, however Aanya herself does not wish to follow Hindu traditions and culture. We are therefore not seeking a placement with carers from any specific cultural background for Aanya.

The local authority became involved with Aanya in 2015 after she alleged that she and her brother had been physically and emotionally abused by their father.

Aanya has been in her current placement since 2018, and is now seeking permanence in a long-term foster placement.

Lily and Beth are aged 8 and 6. They have been in their current foster home since October 2020 but are ready to move to a long-term home with permanent carers.

Lily loves being outside and running around. When her carer recently asked her what her favourite thing to do has been, Lily said it was being outside in the paddling pool which she did during lockdown. She enjoys being outside in the garden, building dens in the woods, climbing trees.

Beth has a lot of energy and enjoys being outside in the back garden. Playing with the garden toys, running around and so on. Beth has many Barbies and toy fairies, and a lot of imagination. If she is on her own playing, she will often play ‘families’ with her dolls, and cares for the babies in her imaginary play.

Lily has coped very well academically and socially with school. Lily is noted to be a friendly girl with a circle of friends. When she first arrived with her carer and started school, she was 2 and a half years behind the age expectations in most areas. In the last year she has worked hard with the support of her carers to close this gap.

Beth is achieving well in school and is doing extremely well with her reading and writing. Her carer has noted that Beth is a popular member of the class and she always tells her carer who she has played with and what she has had for dinner during the car journey home.

Lily and Beth’s experiences in the family home has impacted their sense of emotional wellbeing and, at times, their behaviour. As a result, Lily and Beth need long-term carers who have a good understanding of the impact of early years trauma, neglect and abuse.

The sisters are part of a sibling group of 5 children, and are particularly close to their older sister, who they have regular contact with. To enable this to continue, we need foster carers who live in Buckinghamshire and are able to support this. Aside from that, Lily and Beth are close in age and share a lot of the same experiences, and this makes it very important for them to be able to continue living together.

Lily and Beth are active girls and would like carers who can introduce them to new experiences in the great outdoors and allow them to stay close to their existing friendship groups and families.