Association wants to lift image of foster children

MOTHERS IN ARMS: Jenny Schipper (left) and Noeline Smith support the region's foster parents through the Wanganui Fostercare Association, which was honoured at this year's Trustpower Energy Direct Wanganui District Community Awards.PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 151015WCSMFOSTERCARE3

When restaurants refuse to host groups of foster children, Noeline Smith sees red.

"I'm telling you now, they're not CYF's kids, they're kids in care," she tells the owners. It has happened to her twice.

Mrs Smith is the chairwoman of the Wanganui Fostercare Association. It tries to raise money and organise an outing for the children at least twice a year.

The children, aged from babyhood through to 17, pile on to a bus in Wanganui for the mystery outing. They've been to the Wellington zoo, to Santa's Cave at Dannevirke and to the Festival of Lights in New Plymouth.

"They love it, because so many of them haven't been to places like that before."

The association usually organises a barbecue for the children after an outing, but sometimes takes them to a restaurant. Mrs Smith has been refused entrance to restaurants in New Plymouth and Paraparaumu, but never in Wanganui.

One man used an obscenity in telling her to leave. He thought the children were criminals.

"They're not criminals, they're kids in care. They're just like ordinary kids - they're usually very good."

The association was runner-up in the Education and Child Youth Development category of the Trustpower Energy Direct Wanganui District Community Awards on Monday, which thrilled its chair and vice-chair. It supports foster parents in Wanganui, Ruapehu and Taranaki.

It has existed since 1977 and has 116 members. There were 50 to 60 sets of foster parents in Wanganui, Mrs Smith guessed. Some were out on Saturday, raising funds for the children's next outing by holding a sausage sizzle at Wanganui's Mitre 10 Mega.

Mrs Smith and vice-chairwoman Jenny Schipper have each fostered hundreds of children. Mrs Smith stopped taking new ones on after 43 years but is the person foster parents can call, day or night, when they have a problem. Sometimes children have "done a runner". Or they might have been chucked out of school, smashed up the house or stolen the car.

"It's my job to calm [the parents] down, and that usually takes a while, because they are frightened," she said.

At other times they will ring her because they are frustrated with the system, and "just want to vent".

Police or Child, Youth and Family (CYF) staff put children into foster care when there are problems with their own homes. It could be violence, or alcohol and drugs, or just "absolute neglect". Placements can be from two days to semi-permanent.

Mrs Smith took in two brothers for two weeks and they stayed until they were 17 - and still return sometimes with their own families.

"They know where the fridge is," she said.

It's best if the children arrive with lots of information and a care plan, but that's not possible in emergencies. Foster parents are vetted before they take children on. They can receive training, in 11 one-day modules, but not all of them take it.

Mrs Smith said it was good if they did, because they sometimes had to deal with complex situations, such as custody battles and maltreatment. They get paid an allowance, but the women say it doesn't cover the full cost of taking on children.

Foster parents are people with big hearts who open their homes and want to make a difference.