Ever conscious of the need to find foster placements for more children, Appogg is appealing for more families to take up the challenge and follow a fostering course.

There are currently 156 children living in a foster family and Appogg offers constant support to these families. Each foster family is provided with the service of a social worker; child-in-care benefit irrespective of family earnings; medical tests; counselling and therapy, if necessary, for the fostered children; support groups; supply of books, videos and other material related to fostering and continuous training.

The training programme for those wishing to become foster carers consists of six three-hour sessions during which they will be familiarised with the entire fostering process, from the day the child is placed in the family to the day s/he will leave the foster family either to go back to the original family or to get on with his/her adult life.

The first course for 2005 will commence on Monday, 17 January. Anyone interested can contact Appogg’s fostering service on 22959000.