Respite & Emergency Foster Care: Waikato
In operation since 2004, Youth Horizons’ Waikato Respite Foster Care involves specialised care for young people in the Waikato region who have serious mental health problems and who require either planned respite or emergency foster care.
The Service
This service provides urgent foster care placements for Child Youth and Family and planned respite care for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) with placements ranging from short to long term care.
Approximately 20 young people go through the programme each month, however this number is increased during holiday periods, generally resulting from the extra pressures felt by parents during this time.
Foster parents work alongside service coordinators to affect positive change in these young people and to support them to either return home, to enter into another placement with extended whanau/ family, or to transition into independent living.
It is the aim of the service to achieve successful placements without subjecting children to the disruption of moving around more than necessary.
The Key Component
With this aim in mind, foster parents represent the key component of this service. Foster parents come from a range backgrounds, skill levels, and life experiences, enabling young people to be matched with the most appropriate caregiver. Caregivers are specifically trained to manage difficult behaviours and are committed individuals who provide warm and stable homes for troubled young people.
Youth Horizons currently employs the services of over 30 Foster care families. We are however, always looking for more foster parents. The more we have, the greater our ability to take more children in need of support.
Participants
Services are available for children/young people between the ages of 6 & 17, who suffer from severe mental health issues that may include foetal alcohol syndrome, ADHD, autism, conduct disorder or behavioural, sexual & self-harming issues. Additionally, all young people will be involved with CY&F and /or CAMHS.
For more information, please contact Brian Hutching (Fostercare Coordinator) on 07 838 3671 / 029 567 3238 or Lyn Shaw (Fostercare Coordinator) on 07 838 3671 / 029 023 0822.
Alternatively, you can contact this programme on 0800 026878