TWELVE-YEAR-OLD year-old Olivia (not her real name) spent her early years suffering from neglect and witnessing domestic violence and drug misuse at home.

She became a mother figure to her younger brother, often taking charge of the cooking and cleaning.

After being placed into care five years ago she eventually went to live with an extended family in Kirklees, but through no fault of her own they were unable to look after her long-term and she has since had a number of short-term placements. Having overseen her care over the past year, social worker Allan Scott is now the only constant in Olivia’s life and she needs to remain in Kirklees in order to maintain that continuity of care.

Olivia is just one of the children under Allan’s care and remains one of the borough’s most urgent cases.

Kirklees Council is appealing to residents in the area in the hope of finding long-term foster families for 60 vulnerable children in need of a stable home.

Allan, who works as a children’s social worker at Kirklees Council, says many children in care come from traumatic backgrounds and are missing out on being part of a loving family because of a shortage of long-term foster carers.

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Olivia, who wants more than anything to settle into a loving, permanent family, is faced with spending the rest of her childhood in residential care or in multiple short-term placements, possibly in a different area.

“In many ways Olivia is much like any other 12-year-old in that she’s dealing with all the usual issues that come with adolescence, says Allan. “But with every new placement she thinks she’s found her forever home and when she realises this isn’t the case it chips away at her. She sees every move as a rejection.

“Understandably Olivia’s experiences have left her with some emotional issues. But given everything she’s been through you’d expect her to have all sorts of problems but this isn’t the case at all. I’ve got to know Olivia well over the past year and she’s a joy to be around; she’s extremely bright, funny and loves life. Put simply, she’s beyond resilient.

“She used to play for an under 12s football league team and she has dreams of becoming a vet one day. I’ve seen many children defy the odds and go on to succeed both in life and academically and I’ve no doubt that Olivia has the potential to do the same. But she needs the support that only a permanent, loving family can offer.

“Olivia would benefit most from being part of a two-parent family in or around Kirklees. She loves being around other children so a bigger family, where she’d be the oldest child, would be ideal for her. For the right family we would provide a full package of ongoing training and support.”

During his seven years at the local authority, Allan has advocated on behalf of numerous children in care.

“Children in care are some of the most vulnerable you’ll ever meet,” he says. “They’ve usually experienced cruelty or neglect from the people they should have been able to trust the most. They often feel alone so need someone who’ll really believe in them. As a social worker I can help provide some of that hope and reassurance but this is just a starting point and no substitute for being part of a permanent family unit.

“Our short-term foster carers do an amazing job, however finding a long-term foster family for a child is a process. As in Olivia’s case a child is usually placed with a short-term family until long-term arrangements can be made but there simply aren’t enough long-term carers. Just imagine how any child would feel in this situation, as everything and everyone they’ve ever known keeps changing. This why we urgently need more people who care enough to invest in a child’s future to come forward.”

Kirklees Council is running a fostering campaign until June 30. Foster carers come from all ages and backgrounds - they can be single, male or female, gay, lesbian, bisexual, married or living as a couple; divorced or widowed; with or without children; of any religious faith or none at all; homeowners or renting; employed, retired or on benefits; with or without professional childcare experience.

Call Kirklees Council’s fostering team on 0800 389 0086 or go to kirklees.gov.uk/fostering