Latest news with #fosterchildren
ABC News
22-07-2025
- ABC News
Chrismas gifts ruined in ram-raid on children's chairity shop in Sale
A Victorian charity store full of donated Christmas gifts for foster children has been ram-raided before it had a chance to open. At 1:30am on Tuesday an allegedly stolen car was reversed into the front window of the shop on Raymond Street in Sale. The store is the new home of A Better Life for Foster Kids. "The shop was there to do our Christmas presents for the kids in out-of-home care and now this has set us back at least a month," charity founder Heather Baird said. "We had only just got the shop … we don't really need this at this time of year. Ms Baird said the stock would have to be thrown out. "We can't take the chance that there's any glass or slivers or anything, so that means we will have to disregard all of those things," she said. Four Melbourne men aged between 20 and 22 were arrested this morning in Darnum, about 100 kilometres west of Sale. Detective Sergeant Margaret Schulz said police did not believe it was a targeted incident. Debbie Clancy, the owner of the Town Square Boutique next door, said the incident was concerning. "I have never seen something like this happen here," she said. "Unfortunately, it is a changing landscape in Australia — not just in this rural community, but all over." Ms Clancy, who has owned her store for 24 years, said she had noticed a rise in crime on the street in the last year. "Everyone is working hard to stop it — the locals, the police, but I really believe it comes back to the legal system," she said. On Tuesday morning the Sale Business and Tourism Association held a meeting with Raymond Street business owners and police. "There are a number of shops, not only on the main street but throughout Sale, that have had break-ins or things stolen," president Julian McIvor said. Ms Baird is still coming to grips with the incident. "At this stage I haven't really gotten anywhere, started with anything," she said. "We didn't have insurance on the contents of the shop at this stage because it … was just all a little bit too quick." Ms Baird hopes the community will help the charity get back on track. "Just get behind us, support us," she said.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's Tax Bill Plans To Decimate Medicaid. For One Group, The Cuts Will Be Unspeakably Cruel.
Now that the Senate has passed its budget bill, the House is voting this week on taking my ability to commit to medically complex foster children away. That's not what they're calling it, of course, but when this legislation takes $930 billion from Medicaid, it's going to hit foster kids waiting on families hard. Four in 10 kids across the United States are on Medicaid, including 368,000 foster kids like mine, who are entitled to Medicaid benefits through the foster system. All those kids will hurt as a result of these cuts, but for those in the foster system, it could make the difference between finding a forever home or growing up in institutional care. My husband Nic and I have fostered around 30 children over the last 14 years. We know how essential Medicaid benefits are for children in the foster system, nearly half of whom have special health care needs. All children in the foster system are entitled to Medicaid benefits, and for many this benefit is extended after adoption or aging out of the system in order to ensure continued health and safety. Medicaid has saved the life of every single foster child who has come through my doors, and it's what made it possible to foster in the first place — and to adopt some of those foster children, with continuing benefits ensuring that we'd be able to meet their ongoing medical needs. Cuts to Medicaid would be devastating for medically complex foster children like mine across the United States. I know this very intimately because of Ansley, my wonderful little girl who loved the color yellow, balloons and listening to music. Ansley came to us as a foster infant with complex medical issues. We later adopted her and remained her loving family until her death in 2019 at age 5. Ansley brought so much love and joy to our family during her short time with us and activated my 'advocacy bone,' turning me into an advocate for medically complex children in the foster system and giving me the inspiration to keep fostering children like her. Because of Ansley, I am a person who sees people as valuable no matter who they are. Because of Medicaid, I am able to open my home to children like Ansley, who would otherwise be too expensive for us, and most families, to care for. Ansley wasn't a burden, because loving a child is never a burden, but she did have complex medical needs throughout her life. Medicaid's coverage of necessary treatments and therapies also freed up resources for us to provide her with enhanced opportunities, paying for additional services that she needed to thrive and live her best life with us. Medicaid provides essential support that helps medically complex foster children like mine lead full lives at home in their communities, where they know love and companionship and enrich the lives of everyone they touch. Our daughter Luci, a micropreemie born at just 27 weeks, also came to us through the foster system and struggles with behavior and emotional regulation. She receives Medicaid coverage post-adoption to support her critical mental health needs, which will require lifelong assistance to manage. Our youngest girl, Lilah, also a micropreemie who started out in the foster system, was born at 22 weeks and survived because of Medicaid. Medicaid made it possible to bring her home with us, to access oxygen at home and to receive the surgeries and other care she needed to thrive. Members of micropreemie support groups often tell me that without Medicaid, they would have been bankrupt or financially ruined; no one expects a premature birth, and NICU stays cost millions of dollars, with medically complex preemies experiencing high health care needs for life. Five-year-old Z, who was recently adopted after four years in our home, is hearing and vision impaired, has spastic quadriplegia, uses a feeding tube and lives with life altering effects from a traumatic brain injury. He has benefited tremendously from Medicaid coverage of his equipment, such as a Tobii Dynavox eye gaze machine, which allows him to communicate directly with us about when he's not feeling well, which toy he wants to play with and what music he wants to play. He has been able to introduce himself to us and access the community in a way that's simply unreal. He can go to school with his peers and communicate with his teachers, understanding and responding to what they are teaching. This would have been unimaginable without the critical equipment that we could never have afforded on our own. Providing Z with the tools he needs to communicate has opened up his whole world, and ours. Every child deserves this kind of access, and Medicaid makes that possible, allowing foster children with medical complexities and disabilities to find forever families instead of languishing in institutional care, be it the hospital, state facilities or nursing homes. Without it, I would be unable to afford care for my foster children, and the children I've adopted through the foster system would also lose the coverage that keeps them at home, safe and loved, in their community. They could have been forced into institutions because of their medical needs, as is the case with several children we already know are waiting for adoptive homes in state facilities. Medicaid is also crucial for family reunification, the most important goal within the foster system whenever possible. We've had medically complex foster placements who were able to be reunited with family members because of Medicaid; those family members were able to take those children because they knew their medical needs would be covered. They were able to get those children out of the foster system and raise them. It would be heartbreaking for kinship placements to have to hesitate because of financial concerns. As a foster mom, my calling is to care for medically complex children. I do not believe the cruel cuts to Medicaid in this bill are what Jesus meant when He said, 'Let the little children come to me,' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' We are taught to take care of the sick in this world, especially children. I pray that when my time on this Earth is done, I will be reunited with my daughter Ansley. In the meantime, I will ensure that her legacy lives on in the form of providing comfort, love and shelter to children just like her. I cannot imagine having to close our home because of our inability to afford the health costs of a terminally ill or disabled child in need of a family. Disabled and medically complex children already suffer enough. Even one child being denied access to support for home and community living is one child too many. Do you have a compelling personal story you'd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we're looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
From retail jobs to foster parents in their 30s
Nine years ago, Mike and Andy were working jobs in retail which left them in a "cycle of nothingness". The couple, from Birmingham, wanted to experience family life. They decided to start fostering children. They were 30 and 33 - significantly younger than the UK fostering average of 54. Andy and Mike now foster full-time and have been sharing the rewards and challenges of their role. They are parents to a teenage girl and boy from different families - two of the nearly 12,000 children in care in the West Midlands as of January 2024. Mike said they had helped the children form a strong sibling bond. "The dynamic between the two of them is brilliant," he said. "They're just like siblings – they'll argue, call each other names, and then, the next minute, they're holding hands around the shopping centre." Andy and Mike believe their role is to help foster children overcome "unimaginable circumstances". Before she moved in, their foster daughter had seven homes in 12 months. She has now been with Andy and Mike for five years, and will stay until she is at least 18. She was a bridesmaid at their wedding. Andy said fostering without any preconceived parenting ideas had made the experience enjoyable. "Some parents can find it challenging because foster children have had very different early experiences to their own children, and they have to learn to navigate trauma and complex emotions," he said. The couple said they believed there were myths over fostering which deterred young people from inquiring about it. "Fostering is a way of life, and we see these children as our own, but it's important other people know that you are financially supported when you foster," said Andy. "We do a lot of training, learning, and admin while caring for the children around the clock. "You can also still go to work and foster at the same time, and you can foster if you happen to rent your home." Mike added: "We see the admin side of things, like the training and daily logs as work, but the rest of the time, they're just our children. "Sometimes it's really hard, but you don't give up on your own children. "They're part of our family and our life now, they bring so much joy and energy to our lives." Birmingham and Black Country: 4,808 Coventry: 724 Herefordshire: 412 Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin: 1,109 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: 2,491 Warwickshire: 778 Wolverhampton: 501 Worcestershire: 1,000 Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'There are lots of misconceptions about fostering' Mum's joy at fostering 60 children over 20 years Foster carers honoured at awards ISP Fostering
BBC News
21-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Birmingham couple go from retail jobs to fostering in their 30s
Nine years ago, Mike and Andy were working jobs in retail which left them in a "cycle of nothingness".The couple, from Birmingham, wanted to experience family life. They decided to start fostering were 30 and 33 - significantly younger than the UK fostering average of and Mike now foster full-time and have been sharing the rewards and challenges of their role. They are parents to a teenage girl and boy from different families - two of the nearly 12,000 children in care in the West Midlands as of January 2024. Mike said they had helped the children form a strong sibling bond."The dynamic between the two of them is brilliant," he said."They're just like siblings – they'll argue, call each other names, and then, the next minute, they're holding hands around the shopping centre." Andy and Mike believe their role is to help foster children overcome "unimaginable circumstances".Before she moved in, their foster daughter had seven homes in 12 has now been with Andy and Mike for five years, and will stay until she is at least 18. She was a bridesmaid at their said fostering without any preconceived parenting ideas had made the experience enjoyable."Some parents can find it challenging because foster children have had very different early experiences to their own children, and they have to learn to navigate trauma and complex emotions," he said. 'They bring joy to our lives' The couple said they believed there were myths over fostering which deterred young people from inquiring about it."Fostering is a way of life, and we see these children as our own, but it's important other people know that you are financially supported when you foster," said Andy."We do a lot of training, learning, and admin while caring for the children around the clock. "You can also still go to work and foster at the same time, and you can foster if you happen to rent your home."Mike added: "We see the admin side of things, like the training and daily logs as work, but the rest of the time, they're just our children."Sometimes it's really hard, but you don't give up on your own children."They're part of our family and our life now, they bring so much joy and energy to our lives." Children in care by area Birmingham and Black Country: 4,808Coventry: 724Herefordshire: 412Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin: 1,109Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: 2,491Warwickshire: 778Wolverhampton: 501Worcestershire: 1,000 Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Foster mum Roylene Robinson now helps those in need in cost-of-living crisis
For Roylene Robinson, raising hundreds of children has been challenging but "very rewarding". For almost half a century, she has been a foster mum. "Mother's Day is a very, very big day," the 76-year-old said. "It's either the phone ringing or you've got emails or you've got messages or you've got people calling in … I find it very, very rewarding on Mother's Day." Ms Robinson has fostered 280 children over the past 47 years in her humble Rockhampton home in central Queensland. She also has four children of her own. The single carer said love and encouragement were two of the most important things a parent figure could offer a foster child. Ms Robinson dedicates her life not just to children, but to everyone in need. The doors to her charity store, Moo and Coo, open at 10 each morning and within a few minutes, it's always a hive of activity. "Everything's cheaper, much cheaper and it's like the original op shops," she said. "This is what op shops were years ago where people could come in find what they need and have a cup of tea. Ms Robinson is the heart and soul of the not-for-profit organisation that provides essentials like food, clothing and furniture to people in need. "This is a quiet morning. Saturdays [and] Wednesdays are much, much bigger," she said. With the nation in the grips of a cost-of-living crisis, Ms Robinson says many residents, particularly those on lower incomes, are struggling to afford basic needs like food, fuel, rent and electricity. While the state and federal governments are taking steps to address the issue, the situation remains challenging for many. "We do care packages, food packages, clothing, kitchen packs, baby packs for the hospital, so we do everything that we can, right now blankets and everything to keep the needy warm and fed," Ms Robinson said. "We quite often heat up the meals for the people off the street and give them a knife and fork." Laurel Mason is a social worker who regularly brings her clients — mainly those sleeping rough on the streets — to Ms Robinson's store. Ms Mason admitted she had even experienced challenges in meeting increased cost-of-living expenses in recent times. "I know even for myself, I've used Roylene's shop at one point when I wasn't working, so it was a great help to me at that time," she said. According to a survey of 3,600 people who had accessed assistance from The Salvation Army, 90 per cent reported it was difficult to afford essential living costs, such as housing, groceries, medical care and utilities over the past 12 months. The 2025 Red Shield report also found 70 per cent of respondents said cost of living was their biggest challenge in the past year while 87 per cent of households with children were living below the poverty line. Ms Robinson said she had noticed a huge increase in demand for essential items such as clothing. "The cost of living is happening to everybody," she said. "People are finding rents high, food prices have gone up, your petrol has gone up."
