Could you foster Paul?

23rd February 2022

We are looking for a two adult household who can offer Paul* a long term foster home.

Paul is a happy, gentle and loveable 12 year old boy. Paul has blonde hair, blue eyes and is of slight build. Paul has poor eyesight and is registered blind, although he wears glasses, which enables him to see figures and bright colours. His favourite colour is yellow.

Paul has Down syndrome and has global developmental delay, which limits his understanding of the world around him; albeit he recognises voices of those he is familiar with and is aware of when he is at home or away.

Paul is non-verbal but he has no problem communicating what he wants. He can make his likes and dislikes known through noises, shouting, smiling, and laughing and through his general body language. Paul is very happy when he is around those he is familiar with. He recognises their voices and will respond by smiling or giggling. Paul is very tactile and loves to cuddle up with his foster family and know that they are near him.

Given Paul’s limited vision, he relies on his other senses. Paul loves music and listening to nursery rhymes and will rock, smile, laugh and make humming noises when his favourite songs are playing. This is the same for Paul’s favourite cartoons on Cbeebies. Paul enjoys a foot rub when everyone is relaxing in the evening.

Paul loves his sensory toys, in particular toys that are bright and colourful.  Paul’s favourite toy is his bright coloured ribbons and Paul really enjoys splashing in water and becomes excitable during water play.

Due to Paul’s restricted mobility he has a power assisted wheelchair, and with support he can walk short distances using his rollator. He has been awarded the higher level PIP payment which enables his carers to have a car which is wheelchair friendly.

Paul attend a special school and loves it. He is very popular with his teachers and classmates. When Paul arrives in school, all his classmates become more alert and respond so well to Paul’s happy and giddy persona.

Paul has made great progress in his health and development whilst living with his current foster carers. Paul no longer needs oxygen and is now prescribed only three tablets daily. He can now mobilise. He is a very strong boy and loves nothing more than climbing up on to the sofa for cuddles and tickles. Paul has a wheelchair for longer journeys but he prefers to be out of his chair when at home and exploring his surroundings. Paul does not like being out of routine, he can become vocal or distressed when out of routine at times. For example, Paul loves the predictability of school, playtime and bedtime.

Paul is fed via a Jejunostomy tube, which his foster carers are trained in completing daily. He also enjoys going to a short breaks home, which is something he has done for many years.

Sleeping

Paul sleeps independently in his own room and in his own specialised cot bed. Paul will usually fall asleep easily.  Paul will sometimes be awake quietly in the morning or move around his bed making noises.

Self Care Needs

Paul is incontinent and wears incontinence pads at all times. Paul can stand up with the support of his rollator when having his personal care needs attended to by his foster family. Paul requires 24/7 care and support in attending to all his self care needs. This includes washing, dressing, personal care, brushing teeth and putting shoes on.

Caring for Paul

We are looking for two adult foster carers who can provide a loving home for Paul on a long term basis. Paul lives on ground floor level and given his disability, the type of home you have will be discussed with you on an individual basis. Paul’s foster carers will need to be able to provide a structured routine and one person will need to be at home full time to be available to respond to any ill health and attend medical appointments. You will have a team of people around you who will all help and support you in caring for Paul.

Supports

Given Paul’s specific needs, there are already a range of professionals in the team around Paul and his foster family to ensure that his current level of good health is maintained and to provide support to his foster carers. As Paul’s foster carers you will receive:

1. A fostering fee of £39,000 per annum plus fostering allowances
2. Full training specific to caring for Paul
3. Support from all the professionals already involved with Paul (including dietician, Occupational therapist, Community nursing, Pediatrician, social workers and school physiotherapist)
4. Your own fostering social worker
5. Specific equipment for Paul would move with him to his new foster carers
6. Paul will avail of regular short breaks to give his foster carers a break.

Information Events for Paul

We are hosting two information sessions for anyone interested in caring for Paul.

We welcome enquiries from anyone across Northern Ireland

Get in touch to register for one of these events:

Call us on 0800 0720 137

or email your name, postcode and telephone number to:

info@fostering.hscni.net

Alternatively, you can enquire about Paul by filling out our short online enquiry form

*not his real name