Judge praises Welsh couple who have fostered ‘enormous’ number of children

By Brian Farmer3rd July 2018News WalesChild Protection, Childrens Services, Courts / Justice, Foster Care, Looked After Children, News Wales

A High Court judge has praised on a couple in Wales who have fostered an “enormous” number of children.

Mr Justice Francis, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, says he cannot imagine how social workers would cope if it were not for people like the couple.

He has praised them in a ruling a family court case centred on a boy.

The judge said the boy had been placed with the couple nearly two years ago after social workers raised concerns about his home life.

He has now ruled the boy should stay with them.

Mr Justice Francis said the boy could not be identified and has not named the couple, but did say they lived in Wales.

“They have fostered an enormous number of children and have a number of children living in their house at the moment,” he said.

“They have fostered an Egyptian boy, a Portuguese boy and so they have considerable experience, not only of fostering British children but foreign children as well.”

He added: “I am frequently in this job surrounded by horrible situations with a lot of very difficult people in very difficult circumstances and it is a great pleasure to see that those tragedies are counterbalanced by people who have the goodness that I see in (the couple).

“And I want to thank them on behalf of this court for the work that they do.

“Without people doing the work that they do, I cannot imagine how Children’s Services would cope.”