Inspirational Hartlepool mum backs call for more to foster in uncertain time

Jean Shenava and her husband Hossein have been fostering for three and half years and as well as fostering youngsters needing a temporary home, also specialise in looking after young parents and their babies.

More than 500 more foster carers are needed across the North East to meet demand and help support vulnerable children and young adults.

And foster provider Five Rivers Child Care, which the couple work with, say coronavirus could increase demand as parents or foster carers contract the virus.

Full-time foster mum Jean, 60, and Hossein, 65, who also runs his own gas engineering business, have cared for more than 20 young people.

They currently foster a 16-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy.

Jean decided to become a foster carer after previously working for the council helping young people who were involved in antisocial behaviour.

After initially providing short-term, emergency care she trained to take on parent and child placements of which there is a real shortage of carers across the UK.

She said: “The young mums I have cared for have come from really difficult backgrounds and it makes parenting so much harder for them as they don’t have positive examples to follow.

“I think the best way I can help the young people I care for is by guiding them to focus on their futures and what they want to achieve.

“All I want is for them to live happier lives, so I try and steer them in the right direction.

“When you see the people you’ve cared for living fulfilled lives it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Following the coronavirus outbreak, Five Rivers has made changes to the application process, which previously took up to six months.

Jennifer Sutton, of Five Rivers Child Care said: “There are so many children and young people across the region looking for someone to support them in the same way a family would, so we’re still keen to hear from people across County Durham who are interested in becoming a foster carer during this time of uncertainty.”

To learn more call 0345 2660272 or visit www.five-rivers.org

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