Over the course of the last 20 years, Janice and Colin Skillen have provided foster care to more than 100 children.
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They have been married for 43 years, have five children of their own and are the doting grandparents to 13 grandchildren.
The great majority of us would consider this an admirable innings and drift blissfully into a well-earned retirement.
But Janice and Colin decided to do something extraordinary.
“It would be roughly 20 years ago that the first children arrived,” recalls Janice.
“Tom was seven years old and Peter was just nine months.”
Since this time the couple have provided constant care to children needing foster care for a night, a weekend or for their entire childhood.
“I truly believe we were put on this earth to do this. I mean if we didn’t, where would these children be?”
Janice and Colin are members of the fostering community who play a vital role in providing safe, secure and supportive homes for children and young people who, for any number of reasons are unable to live with their parents and extended families.
The numbers tell a powerful story.
In New South Wales alone there are 17,800 children who are unable to live at home.
According to Lifestyle Solutions Managing Director David Hogg, a great number of these children come into care because of abuse or neglect which can lead to statutory child protection intervention.
“We need ordinary people to do extraordinary things for these children,” Mr Hogg said.
“Becoming a foster carer gives you the opportunity to make a real difference in a child’s life.
“It enables you to become part of a local team providing quality care to children and young people that will have a lifelong impact.”
Lifestyle Solutions is a non-government agency that is facilitating foster care placements in Parkes, Forbes and Condoblin and surrounding areas.
This week they are joining with Anglicare, Connecting Carers and Community Services to celebrate Foster Care Week.
To celebrate, the four organisations are hosting an appreciation dinner with funding from Fostering NSW, for local foster carers while the children are introduced and entertained at a disco with local Elliot the DJ Dinosaur.
“Foster Care Week gives us a great opportunity to raise awareness of foster care and encourage people to think about the possibility of fostering,” Di Healey, Lifestyle Solutions Manager for Foster Care in Parkes said.
“It’s also a great opportunity to recognise foster carers in our community like Janice and Colin who are doing truly extraordinary things.”
“We encourage anyone interested in finding our more about foster care to call in to our Parkes office in Clarinda Street, visit us www.lifestylesolutions. org.au or www.fosteringnsw.com.au.”
