IFCO Magazine January 2006
LAUNCHING THE
FIRST CHILDREN’S FOSTERING PROJECT IN INDIA
International Foster care organisation - IFCO is happy to
introduce a new Member in the Spotlight, and to begin 2006
with the birth of a new fostering service in a new IFCO
country: India. Meet Rainbow Fostering, a foster care agency
based in the UK, its new-born sibling in New Delhi, and
Aijaz Ahmad, creator and director that wants caring for
bright futures, here and there.
On the 10th of January, 2006, something important
will happen in New Delhi: the setting up of a Voluntary
Fostering Project for children who have been sexually
abused. Frederique Ulla from IFCO Office interviewed Aijaz
Ahmad, a virtual dialogue between London, New Delhi and Den
Haag.
Can you introduce Rainbow Fostering, your foster care
agency?
“Rainbow Fostering is a U.K. based Fostering Agency, which I
created in 1998. The vision was to recruit, train and
support foster carers to look after children in need. Five
years later, it has become a reputable child care
organisation that offers foster homes to children who cannot
live with their parents. By recruiting, assessing, training
and supporting foster carers, we are able to offer a service
to government bodies (Social Services) that place children
with our foster carers. Foster carers who are approved
through our fostering panel are paid on a weekly basis. They
look after children and young people in their own homes,
treating them if as they were their own children by
promoting their well-being.”
What are your objectives, and what is your philosophy?
“The philosophy of the agency is to make a difference in the
lives of children and young people who have been maltreated,
abused or whose parents simply cannot look after them. We
operate our services within the regulations and the National
Minimum Standards in foster care and according to English
child care legislation. We are registered with a government
regulatory body. This ensures that the services we offer are
of high quality and acceptable standards. We aim to improve
positive outcomes for children and young people in all
aspects of their lives so that they will have the same life
chances as children who have had the opportunity to live
with their birth families. Our objective is to train foster
carers and support them in providing a safe caring
environment within their homes.”
What can you tell us about Children in Need in India, and
the reasons that led you to create a Fostering Agency there?
“The rationale for setting up the project acknowledges that
according to the statistics a high percentage of girls are
sexually abused and exploited as child commercial sex
workers: “for instance in Bowbazar, a red light area in
North Kolkata, West Bengal, where about 12000 sex workers
ply their trade. Here, sewage facilities are poor and child
trafficking and sexual abuse are rampant. By evening,
business is in full swing” (extracts from http://www.cry.org/crypage.asp).
“The local interest also stems from what I know about
children living in India today, who are suffering the
ill-effects of sexual abuse. My own investigations tell me
that there is an international trade of paedophiles who
sexually exploit Indian children and their families for
their own ends. Did you know that GOA is the site where
many tourist prey on innocent children and that there is
very little legislation to protect the rights of these
children? We need to campaign for better legislation and for
laws that will deal effectively with sexual crimes against
children. India is the second most populated country in the
world. It has a population of 1.03 billion people and an
estimated 400 million children. It is one of the fastest
growing developing countries, but with this development also
comes the challenges of child abuse and of particular
interest child sexual abuse. The research indicates that
50% of children in India are sexually abused. That is a
high statistic by any stretch of the imagination. I hope you
will agree with me that something needs to be done to
challenge this fast growing problem. The question is what
can be done?”
Precisely, how will The Children’s Fostering Project in
India make a difference for these children?
“As a result of the knowledge and expertise we have
developed over the last seven years, Rainbow Fostering
decided to set up a voluntary fostering project in India
called The Children’s Fostering Services. The Children’s
Fostering Services will be launched in New Delhi on 10th
January 2006. It will be based on a similar model to our
London based services, but will comply with local Indian
legislation and requirements. Foster carers who are
registered with The Children’s Fostering Services will
receive a monthly payment and will be supervised by social
workers.
“Its aims will be exactly the same as the fostering project
in London, namely:
¨
To provide foster carers who can meet the identified needs
of children and young people who have been sexually abused.
¨
To provide a safe-caring environment for such children and
young people.
¨
To assess and train foster carers before they are approved
to foster.
¨
To provide on-going training for foster carers and staff who
are working with children and young people in foster care.
“I will recruit 20 foster carers from the community to look
after children who have been affected by sexual abuse.
Their task will be to offer children and young people a
safe-caring environment in which to live, thrive and reach
their potential.”
Can you tell us more about the project?
“Foster carers will be recruited on the basis of their
competence to foster children who have had traumatic
experiences and they will be paid a fostering fee. They
will be recruited from all faiths and backgrounds to reflect
backgrounds of the children they will be looking after. I
have already recruited two social workers to oversee the
local work, but the project will be administered from
London. As part of our commitment to this pilot project,
Rainbow Fostering which is the London Head Office will fund
the project to the tune of £100,000. We will concentrate on
fund-raising to meet the financial cost of this voluntary
work. I will be approaching corporate business and
individuals to support this important work. My vision is for
this project to be successful and to spread to other part of
country where there is similar need.”
We hope that IFCO and its members can support your project
too! A more personal question now, how does it feel to be
back in India, where you were raised, after 15 years in the
UK?
“My motivation for initiating The Children’s Fostering
Project is that as a person of Indian origin, I wish to make
a significant contribution to the Indian community. Helping
children in need has been my life long work and has been the
foundation on which my organisation has developed.
“Having consolidated my business in England, I developed a
sense of responsibility and commitment towards India where I
was born and reared. It was with this responsibility in mind
that I set up The Children’s Fostering Service as a
charitable organization in India, in January 2006.”
Do you think that your British experiences will enrich and
facilitate this new project?
“I must admit that I wouldn't have dreamt of venturing into
foster caring in India without gathering professional
strength from Britain. My debt to Britain in this respect is
substantial. Britain gave me a certain model of social work
practice whose hallmark is not merely a high professional
standard but a deep sensitivity and value commitment to the
recipient of the practice. The excellent enabling ethos
which gave me ends and means of social care also inspired me
to replicate the British professional model onto the Indian
soil.”
“My new venture in foster care in India is proof that I am
committed to developing transnational relations between
resident Indians and Indians who are living abroad. It’s a
relationship of mutual benefit and one where I hope that we
will develop a reciprocal relationship. My intentions are
wholesome, and I want children in need to benefit from the
work we will do together. This is our social responsibility
and ultimately it is every body’s business to care. My
outreach is a balanced combination of local and
international interest. At a local level, the fostering
service will aim to meet the needs of children who have been
maltreated and abused, by ensuring that their rights are
upheld under the Geneva Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
The Children’s Fostering Services recognises the potential
for rebuilding the lives of children who have been affected
and traumatised by sexual abuse. Our experience tells us
that foster carers can make an invaluable contribution to
safeguarding the rights of children, as well as they offer
protection from abuse and exploitation.
Thank you, Aijaz, for your time and contribution to the
Informer.
Press Release - 23rd November 2005
LAUNCHING THE FIRST CHILDREN'S FOSTERING PROJECT IN INDIA
The press release gives notice of our intention to set up a Voluntary Fostering Project in New Delhi India for children who have been sexually abused.
Who are we?
Rainbow Fostering is a U.K. based Fostering Agency, which was set up in 1998 by the Director, Mr Aijaz Ahmad. The vision was to recruit, train and support foster carers to look after children in need. Five years later, it has become a reputable child care organisation that offers foster homes to children who cannot live with their parents. By recruiting, assessing, training and supporting foster carers, we are able to offer a service to government bodies (Social Services) that place children with our foster carers. Foster carers who are approved through our fostering panel are paid on a weekly basis. They look after children and young people in their own homes, treating them if as they were their own children by promoting their well-being.
What we do and our philosophy
The philosophy of the agency is to make a difference in the lives of children and young people who have been maltreated, abused or whose parents simply cannot look after them. We operate our services within the regulations and the National Minimum Standards in foster care and according to English child care legislation. We are registered with a government regulatory body. This ensures that the services we offer are of high quality and acceptable standards. We aim to improve positive outcomes for children and young people in all aspects of their lives so that they will have the same life chances as children who have had the opportunity to live with their birth families. Our objective is to train foster carers and support them in providing a safe caring environment within their homes.
The impetus for Setting up The Children's Fostering Project in India
As a result of the knowledge and expertise we have developed over the last seven years, Rainbow Fostering will be setting up a voluntary fostering project in India called The Children's Fostering Services. The rationale for setting up the project acknowledges that according to the statistics a high percentage of girls are sexually abused and exploited as child commercial sex workers (http://www.cry.org/crypage.asp).
The Children's Fostering Services will be launched in New Delhi on 10th January 2006. It will be based on a similar model to our London based services, but will comply with local Indian legislation and requirements. Foster carers who are registered with The Children's Fostering Services will receive a monthly payment and will be supervised by social workers.
The Children's Fostering Services recognises the potential for rebuilding the lives of children who have been affected and traumatised by sexual abuse. Our experience tells us that foster carers can make an invaluable contribution to safeguarding the rights of children plus protection from abuse and exploitation.
According to the Director of Rainbow Fostering "My motivation for initiating The Children's Fostering Project is that as a person of Indian origin, I wish to make a significant contribution to the Indian community. Helping children in need has been my life long work and has been the foundation on which my organisation has developed.
aijaz@rainbowfostering.co.uk
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