Federation urges free cars for foster care

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 11

Federation urges free cars for foster care

Family-home foster parents should be provided with a free car, according to the new national chairman of the Foster Care Federation (Mrs J. Thomson). ”, raking at the annual ' conference in Christchurch, Mrs Thomson said that dele- : gates felt strongly that the 1 position of_ foster parents i had become serious. I The conference passed a)j remit asking for a meeting i; with the Minister of Social 11 Welfare (Mr Gair), to ex-i; plain the situation of foster h parents, and to push for free 11 I cars for them. ; i “Foster parents are not is paid a salary and work veryh hard Caring’ for up to eight; foster children at one time,”ii Mrs Thomson said. In addi- < tion, they often have to dip i into their own savings to i buy a suitable vehicle for i the home. This is an intoler- i able situation which needs i urgent attention,” she said. i The retiring chairman of the federation (Mr J. A. D. < lorns) said that some per- ; sons did not understand that i

family-home parents did not receive payment for fosterfoster children in planning the future of their child. Answers to this matter would have to be found, Mrs Thomson said. Mr lorns said that many! natural parents withdrew from their children when they had to give them to foster care. He said that ling children. They were given a home with’modern i conveniences, and. money to I pay for the children’s food and clothing, but nothing (else. Relieving foster parents received $lOO a week. He ■ said he did not think Mr Gair ; understood the situation. The conference called for more attention to the needs of, the Polynesian foster child. Mrs Thomson said that a special effort was needed to involve local Polynesian communities in catering for the needs of Polynesian foster children. Mr loms said that the federation would ask local associations to send social workers to visit Polynesian

r communities and discuss the i needs of Polynesian foster | children. The federation [would also suggest to the I Department of Social Wel--1 fare that it recruit persons with an understanding of the 'needs of Polynesians. Delegates were also concerned about a need to involve the natural parents of parents needed to understand that the federation was, in most cases, needed only in times of trouble. Many were hurt and withdrew in shock when their children were taken away, Mr lorns said. The main priority of the federation was to return the child happily to its home, and the easiest way to achieve this was to make certain that the parent and child retained contact he said.

Ten seminars, financed by the proceeds from the Telethon, will be held throughout New Zealand this year to guarantee that all social workers included natural parents in the planning of a foster child’s future, Mr lorns said.