EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Toby entered the care system when he was three, having suffered from neglect.

He has been waiting five years for a long-term family and is one of Kirklees Council’s most urgent cases.

Because of a shortage of long-term carers, attempts to find a family for Toby have so far proved unsuccessful and he has lived with four different short-term carers. Unless a family can be found, Toby may need to be moved to a residential unit, possibly in another area, for the remainder of his childhood.

Social worker Imran Hamid has spoken out in the hope that permanent foster carers can be found for 42 local children and young people. Many have been waiting several years to find long-term families and have been moved around various short-term placements.

“Toby is a lovely, affectionate little boy,” says Imran. “But he’s had to endure so much during his short life and, sadly, he bears the emotional scars of early childhood trauma. With the help of his foster carers Toby has come a long way, but gets sensitive and withdrawn when he’s upset and, unsurprisingly, has major trust issues. This isn’t helped by the fact that he’s moved around different homes. Toby needs a resilient family he can trust, a family that cares enough to see him through thick and thin, where he can feel settled in the knowledge that he won’t have to move on until he’s ready to live independently. Toby is reaching the stage where another short-term placement could prove detrimental so we’re having to consider moving him to a residential unit. Care workers at these homes do a brilliant job, but Toby needs to be part of a permanent family unit to overcome his issues and be able to thrive.”

Toby is not alone. The 42 children in Kirklees in need of long-term foster families come from varying backgrounds, many over the age of five, teenagers, or part of sibling groups. Other urgent cases include five and six-year-old siblings who face being moved away from their home town, a 13-year-old boy desperate to be part of a nurturing family, and an eight year-old boy with autism.

Imran adds: “When a child comes into care they’re often scared and confused. They’ve been let down by the very people they were supposed to be able to trust and they’re faced with living somewhere unfamiliar with people they don’t know. Many children start off in emergency care before being moved to a short-term family. In reality they face being moved again and again to temporary placements because of the shortage of long-term families. When children move several times they start to ask; ‘Why can’t I stay here? What’s wrong with me?’ Sadly the older a child, the more difficult they become to place permanently.

“As a social worker you get to know a child, you want to find the right family for them. Children like Toby are a joy to be around. You think, here’s a child with so much potential and so much to give. This can only happen if more people come forward to help unlock that potential.”

During his ten years at the local authority, Imran has worked in several roles, dealing with foster carers, children and birth families. “We try to give children back some of the control missing in their lives by involving them in key decisions,” says Imran. “We ask what they want; do they want to be the oldest or the youngest child, or do they want us to take into account cultural or religious factors? The focus is very much on the child.”

Imran and his team have placed more than 100 children with long-term foster families in the last two years. Equally crucial is their work with prospective foster carers. “By managing expectations there’s a better chance a placement will succeed. The general view used to be that at 18 a child could go into the world and live independently. Now there’s an understanding that at 18 a child is rarely emotionally stable enough to look after themselves and they’ll need support until they feel ready to move on.

“Many go on to further education so may need that stability into their twenties.

“It’s important to understand that certain behaviours, such as messy bedrooms and pushing boundaries, are a normal part of growing up, especially during teenage years. Often it’s a sign that the carer is doing something right because the child feels settled enough to do those things.

“We need people who are resilient and strong. I’ve seen many children defy the odds and go on to succeed, in life and academically. This is in no small part thanks to the tremendous efforts made by our dedicated, long-term foster carers.”

l For more about fostering call 0800 389 0086 or visit kirklees.gov.uk/fostering.