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DVD gives best start for babies

The number of babies being referred to the Council for temporary foster care because of parental substance misuse has doubled in the past year – 99 babies under six months old were referred in 2008.

Fifty of those babies were referred before they were born and two-thirds of all the babies were suffering from alcohol or drug addiction as a result of the mother’s addiction problems.

Although this rise in numbers is unfortunate, and makes the need for more carers in Edinburgh ever more urgent, one positive outcome is that our carers and staff have developed a range of skills and techniques to deal with vulnerable babies, helping to give them the best possible start in life. This wealth of knowledge is now explored in a new DVD, Caring for Vulnerable Babies.

The DVD focuses on babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) – a cluster of signs/symptoms that affect newborn babies whose mothers have used a variety of substances during their pregnancy. The DVD features health and Council professionals, as well as our own foster carers. It covers a range of issues, from medical needs and treatment, developing attachment and feeding, to carers’ experiences, support and preparing for the future.

Julie Coghill, a Council foster carer who appears in the DVD, said: “Looking after these babies is a really taxing job, but it’s so rewarding.

“When caring for vulnerable babies you can often feel like you’re doing a bad job and getting nowhere because you’re not getting the usual response you’d get from a baby. But it’s great when they come through something so traumatic and you can say, ‘I got you there.’”

The Council will use the DVD as a training tool for our own carers, but it is also available to buy, along with comprehensive notes.

We need you!

The Caring for Vulnerable Babies DVD was launched to coincide with an appeal for foster carers for both babies and older children. As a result, we had 55 enquiries from the public in just two weeks, which is fantastic.

But we still need more.

So, if you’re interested in becoming a foster carer we’d like to hear from you. To find out more call

0800 174 833 or visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/fostering