Latest news with #fostercare
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: 'Batman' actor Christian Bale is building a village for foster children in California
Claim: Actor Christian Bale is building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aims to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. Rating: In July 2025, a claim (archived) circulated that "Batman" actor Christian Bale would live up to his character's reputation as a wealthy do-gooder by building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aimed to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. One popular Reddit version of the claim, titled "Guy might actually be Bruce Wayne.." detailed the plans for the village, praising Bale's intention to change the lives of vulnerable children. Guy might actually be Bruce innextfuckinglevel The claim circulated on X (archived), Instagram (archived) and Facebook (archived). Snopes readers also searched our site for more information about the rumor. The heartwarming claim is true. Bale and Together California, a charity founded by the actor; his wife, Sibi; and University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Eric Esrailian, broke ground on the project in 2024. According to Together California, the village, located near Palmdale, will feature 12 homes and a community center. The project was estimated to cost $22 million at the time of the groundbreaking, according to international media. According to Together California's Facebook page (archived), construction remained ongoing in late June 2025. In May 2025, CBS reported the village was hoping to welcome its first children "next year." CBS also reported that "trained foster parents" would take care of the children living in the village. According to AC Martin, the architects on the project, Together California's "Village for Brothers and Sisters" will feature 12 town house units for children in foster care, two studio units for young adults transitioning out of the foster-care system, a 7,000-square-foot community building and outdoor space. Bale first got involved with the U.S. foster-care system in 2008, according to CBS, after considering what would happen to his own daughter if she were left without her parents. DALTON, ANDREW. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on Foster Homes He's Fought for 16 Years to See Built." AP News, 7 Feb. 2024, Gardner, Chris. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project: 12 New Homes for Foster Children." The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024, "Our Village." Together California, Accessed 19 June 2025. Shoard, Catherine. "Christian Bale Unveils Plans to Build 12 Foster Homes in California." The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2024. The Guardian, Smith, Tracy, and Jennifer Earl. Christian Bale's on a Mission to Keep Foster Siblings Together. For Him, It's the Role of a Lifetime. - CBS News. 18 May 2025, Together California. "Together California Had the Incredible Opportunity to Sit down with CBS Sunday Morning and Speak about the Mission That Drives Us Every Day. ." Facebook, 7 June 2025, Together California: A Village for Brothers & Sisters. Accessed 19 June 2025. Williams, Martha. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 12 Foster Homes in California." Mail Online, 9 Feb. 2024, Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
No spare time, no spare bedrooms: young Australian families under pressure are turning away from foster care
Robyn and Nick Lloyd have been foster carers for a decade, welcoming more than 30 kids into their home. There's a financial and emotional toll to being a carer; but also joy attached to providing a safe environment for some of society's most vulnerable members. Some of the foster children stay with them a few days, others for months. They cared for one little boy for two years. The Sydney couple, who have three biological daughters, have drawn on support networks during their time as foster carers, including their local Anglican church members and an older fostering couple down the street who were fill-in grandparents for some of the younger foster kids. Robyn also regularly meets with a group of about 20 carers living in the local area. But she has noticed that the group is rarely replenished with younger members, raising concerns that the next cohort of carers has gone missing. Australia's living and housing costs are so extreme that younger families – mainly millennials – who would typically represent the next generation of carers have neither the time nor spare bedroom to foster. 'I'm not seeing lots of younger families come through the carers' networks; there haven't been many under 40,' Robyn says. 'We need carers. One of the things I love about being a foster carer is being part of the village that raises them. 'These kids just need people to support them and love them.' There were 7,980 foster carer households with a child placement as at 30 June 2024, according to the most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data. This represents more than a 10% drop in numbers in just three years, and 20% drop over the past decade. Traditionally, such a large cohort like the millennials reaching the young family stage would represent foster care potential, according to the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies; however, this is now unlikely. The association's chief executive, Simone Czech, says the number of foster carers leaving the system is high, while the number of inquiries to become carers is decreasing. 'The nature of children needing care is that it's not necessarily a role whereby you can work nine to five,' says Czech. 'In an ideal world, foster kids should have their own bedroom so that they've got their own space. That's not necessarily a requirement, but it's just that question of how much space, and time, does a household have to take on a foster child?' Australia is not the only country facing a shortage of carers, with the UK among nations also recording a shortfall between retiring and new applicants. There are extreme shortages of carers for large sibling groups, teens and children with complex needs. But Australia's intense housing problem, whereby Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane are all in the top ten least affordable global cities, creates a particular challenge to policymakers. Last year, almost 73% of Australia's 2.2 million couple families with young children had two employed parents, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. A decade ago, it was 61%. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email While some of that change is linked to choices within households about workforce participation, much of the extra work is born from financial necessity. Many industry participants say the solution to the foster care crunch is twofold. First, state governments need to invest more in early intervention, kinship and home-based care models to take the pressure off the foster system. And governments need to provide more support to slow down, or reverse, the decline in carer numbers. 'We need to stem the flow of kids needing out-of-home care, but there will always be a need for carers,' says Czech. 'Carers are worth their weight in gold, and we need more of them.' A lack of foster carers has resulted in many kids being placed in emergency accommodation, such as hotels, motels and serviced apartments, where they are looked after by a rotating roster of workers. This is bad for the children, and is hideously expensive for taxpayers, with costs as high as $2m a year for each child. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The NSW government recently banned so-called alternative care arrangements, although their use persists in other states. The NSW government also recently announced a 20% lift in the foster care allowance as it tries to arrest a slide in carer numbers. The new rate means the carer of a typical five-year-old child receives a tax-free allowance of just over $787 per fortnight, according to the state government, which is the highest rate in the country. Barnardos Australia chief executive Deirdre Cheers says the burden of living costs is hard to shift, even with the increased allowance. 'It's a really good thing, and New South Wales is leading the way there,' says Cheers. 'But the reality is that many people don't have room in their house, or they need to work one, or even two jobs to keep their own family afloat. 'We need people who are not just providing a bed, but who can be actively involved.' Victoria's allowance rates are among the lowest in the country, and it's no coincidence that the state is losing carers at a rapid rate. In 2023-24, 429 carer households left the Victorian system, and just 162 joined, according to AIHW data. Rowan Pulford, a policy adviser at the Foster Care Association of Victoria, says the cost of not investing in foster care is enormous. 'You either invest in foster carers or you spend the money elsewhere,' says Pulford, who is also a carer. 'Emergency placements and residential care are not only hugely expensive, but also incredibly damaging to the child. 'The life trajectory of those children can also be really poor.' While raising allowances will help keep some carers in the system and encourage some prospective carers to join, there's no easy fix. Many organisations are looking to retiring baby boomers as part of the answer, given they are the largest group with spare bedrooms. As a cohort, they have a high rate of home ownership, and many own their properties outright. That could be part of the solution; however, even retirees with robust bank balances are being affected by cost-of-living pressures, given many are now caring for their grandchildren as their own children grapple with intensifying work commitments. In Sydney, Anglicare has kept its number of carers stable, even as the wider sector sheds numbers. The chief executive of Anglicare Sydney, Simon Miller, says foster carers need support to stay in the system, especially in an era of cost-of-living pressures. The organisation has adopted a model tested overseas called the 'foster circle' whereby a carer's local community, which usually includes the local church, steps in to help the carer household. This can include cooking meals, babysitting and financial assistance, along with care for the household's biological children. 'This model has been hugely successful in reducing the turnover of carers and helps carers actually stick out when times are tough,' says Miller, referring to its success in the US and UK. 'We do think that it would be a really good thing if this type of initiative was adopted by the wider sector. 'As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. We think it really does take a village to care for a foster child.'
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Rotherham Council offers formal apology to family of foster carer Marcia Grant
A council has made a formal apology to the family of a "much-loved" foster carer who died after being run over by a child in her Grant, 60, died from catastrophic chest injuries after trying to stop the 12-year-old from stealing the car from outside her home in Greenhill, Sheffield, in April an inquest, assistant coroner Marilyn Whittle recorded a narrative verdict in which she cited shortcomings with Rotherham Council's handling of the child's placement with Mrs a full council meeting, leader Chris Read gave the council's "deepest and sincerest condolences" to her family, adding: "We are truly sorry for their loss." Read said Mrs Grant was "a much-loved and highly respected foster carer, a central figure within Rotherham's foster community"."She was caring and compassionate, providing a home and support to some of our borough's most vulnerable children," he said. 'Heartbreak' At the inquest earlier this month, shortcomings were found around how the council handled the child's emergency placement and how this contributed to the circumstances leading to Mrs Grant's death. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Read acknowledged the coroner's findings and said the council had begun making changes before the inquest also promised further action would follow."The inquest found grounds to believe the council had played a contributing role in Marcia's death," Read said."I am and we are deeply sorry for any failing on the council's part."There is nothing more important than the safety of our children".The coroner said had proper processes been followed, the boy would not have been placed with the Grant family, who had been fostering for seven years and were highly regarded by the council's fostering said Rotherham Council was already improving its record keeping and risk assessments, and was awaiting a formal Prevention of Future Deaths said the council's director of children's services had also been asked for a "comprehensive action plan" for council members to paid tribute to the wider social care workforce, acknowledging the "complexity and difficulty" of their decisions and stressing the huge responsibility and "heartbreak" when things go said: "We honour [Marcia's] memory today in service of all our foster carers who do so much to make the world a better place." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Wednesday's Child: 10-year-old Jaysheamy
MARE - Jaysheamy is a sweet and friendly young girl who loves to socialize and make new friends. She enjoys watching cartoons, playing with her collection of dolls and toys, and spending time outdoors whenever she can. Jaysheamy does very well in school. She attends a general education classroom and is consistently well-behaved and respectful. She thrives on being active and engaged and attends an after school program at her local Boys and Girls Club, where she participates in a variety of fun and enriching activities. Jaysheamy's cheerful personality and eagerness to learn make her a joy to be around. For more information you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) or visit Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- CTV News
Fostered children still at risk, one year on from Don't Look Away report
One year on since the release of a report into the death of a Fraser Valley foster child, while changes have been made, more work still needs to be done, says advocate.
