Parents unable to care for kids hail Ayrshire service

Adults whose children have been taken into care praise support

- ELINA KOBZAR

Ayrshire parents whose children have been taken into care have hailed lifeline support helping them cope with their loss.

They praised expert support helping ease feelings of despair and isolation after being affected by child protection proceedings and unable to parent full-time.

Aberlour Children's Charity delivers Family Matters, a pioneering support scheme in Ayrshire, offering parents help to cope after a child is taken into permanent care.

Assistant director Deborah Grant said the loss of a child can be devastating for parents often already dealing with issues ranging from domestic abuse and substance misuse to poor housing, mental health issues and learning needs.

Deborah said: "A child being taken into permanent care can have an enduring and wide-ranging impact on their families.

"Birth parents can become crushed by the loss and feelings of despair, and, without expert help, those powerful emotions can sabotage their future and that of their families.

"It is about allowing them space to reflect on their absent children and better understand their family's experience and come to terms with it."