Councilman Hubert Schokker Honors Foster Parents
There are too few foster families, and the number of children on the waiting list is growing: at the beginning of this year, more than 800 children were waiting for a suitable foster family. Foster care organizations throughout the Netherlands want to change that. Together with sports clubs, they are organizing Foster Care Week, which runs from November 6 through 13. In Voorschoten, Councilman Hubert Schokker visited foster parent Chris van Mameren today.
During Foster Care Week, Pleegzorg Nederland is partnering with sports clubs to raise awareness about the shortage of foster families, in the hope that more potential foster parents will come forward. Councilman Hubert Schokker supports the initiative. To honor foster parents in Voorschoten, he sent a small gift to all foster families on behalf of the municipality. He also visited one of the foster parents in our village.
Growing Up with Love and Attention
“Foster parents like Chris mean the world to the children they raise and care for,” says Councilor Schokker. “After all, receiving love and attention in a family is the best way to grow up. As a foster parent, you also get something special in return. Seeing how your foster child develops is rewarding and energizing. Yet there is still an urgent shortage of foster parents. As a result, foster care organizations have to spend more time searching for a good match. I’m glad that Pleegzorg Nederland and our sports clubs are drawing attention to this issue.”
Click to switch between parents and foster parents
Pleegzorg Nederland invests heavily in making a good match. Board member and part-time foster mother Nicolien van den Berg explains: “It’s important that everyone involved feels comfortable with one another from the very beginning. Of course, the child is the focus. Based on our vision of shared parenting, we also look for a connection between parents and foster parents. It is especially essential for the foster child that they work well together. Only then can the child feel at home in both places.”
Webinar with Sergio Vyent from First Dates
Becoming a foster parent isn’t something that just happens. There are also different ways to do it. Some children live with a foster family for a short or longer period of time, while others find a safe and familiar place to stay on weekends or during school breaks. To discuss all of this, Pleegzorg Nederland is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, November 20, at 8:00 p.m. featuring Sergio Vyent, who is known from the TV show First Dates and who was also a foster child himself. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions of a foster parent, a biological parent, and a former foster child.
Want to know more?
For more information about Foster Care Week, visit www.pleegzorg.nl. You can also register for the webinar there. Be sure to check out www.horizonpleegzorg.nl, the website of one of the foster care providers near Voorschoten. Through this website, you can sign up for information sessions on foster care.