Bernburg. The Salzlandkreis Foster Care Service is inviting anyone interested to an information session in Bernburg on Wednesday 16 September. Following on from Aschersleben and Schönebeck, this is the third information day of its kind to be held in the Salzlandkreis this year.
“We are always looking for new foster parents – single people or couples, with or without children of their own – to provide as many children as possible from difficult backgrounds with a proper home and loving parents,” says Josephin Warthmann, the head of the Youth and Family Services department. “Anyone who is interested and gets in touch with us will receive comprehensive information from our foster care service about the requirements, all the support available and the entire process leading up to becoming a foster parent,” adds the head of the specialist service.
Many foster parents are already supporting the Salzlandkreis Foster Care Service. There are currently more than 300 so-called foster care placements for children, the majority of which are long-term arrangements. In quite a few cases, relatives also take on this role. Nevertheless, the number of children who, for a wide variety of reasons, cannot be brought up within their own families is rising steadily.
For children, family is a place of security, and the feeling of being loved is the most important value of all. Those who are happy and content in their own lives often want to share a little of that – perhaps by enabling a foster child to experience this happiness within a family. A big heart, emotional support, trust and appreciation are surely the most important foundations for wanting to do good and providing foster children with a stable relationship. This task, which is not always easy, can be managed if, from the outset, you are well prepared for potential problems or crises with the help of professional support.
When they take in a foster child, foster parents receive a monthly basic allowance and a child-rearing allowance, a lump sum to provide adequate pension provision, and an annual lump sum for accident insurance. The state of Saxony-Anhalt determines the amount of the basic allowance that each foster family receives, categorised according to the children’s age groups. Currently, amounts ranging from 764 to 1,072 euros are paid out, plus a child-rearing allowance of 439 euros per month.
The Salzlandkreis also provides foster parents with financial support in the form of grants, in accordance with a set of guidelines, for example to cover the initial costs of taking a child into care. Financial assistance may also be available if, for example, foster parents take a break from work.
“We have repositioned ourselves strategically and have now had a great deal of positive experience with foster parents. Through our foster care service, which acts as a specialist point of contact, we provide support wherever we can. We don’t leave anyone on their own,” emphasises Josephin Warthmann, head of the specialist service, explaining that regular exchanges with other foster parents are also possible within a network that has been set up
The information session on the topic ‘Foster parents wanted – becoming a foster parent’ will take place on 16 September from 3 pm to 6 pm at the Bernburg branch of the District Adult Education Centre:
If you have any questions, please call
during business hours.