Gay couple’s foster kids

Swimming champion Matt Abood and his brother Andrew last week took time out from training for the upcoming World Championships in Shanghai to teach Sydney foster kids about water safety.

Sydney couple Craig and Tony said their two foster children were excited about the opportunity to learn swimming from a champion.

“They’ll be talking about this for weeks,” Craig said.

“It’s great for the kids to have the opportunity to learn to swim when they otherwise just wouldn’t get the chance while they’re in care.

“We’re lucky enough to have a pool at home and when they first came to us they told us they could swim and swallowed the whole pool, so there are some practical skills to be developed.”

“It’s just great to see all the kids playing together. It’s a really good opportunity for the kids to learn to swim and enjoy each other’s company,” Tony added.

“It’s already making a difference, just watching how much more confident they are in the water.”

The Benevolent Society’s Fostering Young Lives Program senior manager Kathleen Clark said children in foster care often miss out on many of the opportunities other children take for granted.

“The sad reality is that we have children in care who at age eight or nine have never been to the beach, are terrified of water and just don’t realise that swimming can be fun. So we’re incredibly lucky to have a real champion to get them in the pool and inspire them to give swimming a go.”

Clark said there are more than 16,000 children in out-of-home care in NSW, more than twice as many as there were 10 years ago.

“Fostering Young Lives ensures children and young people are in safe homes and have the support they need to achieve their potential,” she said.

“Foster carers do a fantastic job giving the kids in their care opportunities they may have missed out on earlier in life and, in a country like Australia, teaching them about water safety is usually a top priority.”

Fostering Young Lives finds secure, stable homes and nurturing foster carers for children and young people at risk of harm or neglect in Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

info: For more about Fostering Young Lives, visit www.fosterachild.org.au or call 1800 819 633.