More foster parents are needed to protect vulnerable children. The Minister of Social Rehabilitation, Dale Butler, told the House of Assembly that there are currently 101 foster children in Bermuda, 8 of whom have special needs.

As of the end of May there were 95 foster parents. Last month the ministry celebrated Foster Care Month and set up an information booth in Washington Mall to provide the public with more information about becoming a foster parent and displayed banners along East Broadway promoting foster parents.

Three therapeutic foster parents, who take care of children with special needs, were also sent to he National Foster Parent Association conference in Washington D.C.

There was also a weekend training conference in Bermuda for 25 foster parents and five social workers run by Kevin Creeden, the director The Whitney School a residential treatment programme in Massachusetts.

Mr: Butler thanked everyone who volunteered to be a foster parent and applauded them for caring for Bermuda’s future but said more people needed to get involved.

He said: “Although there have been several successful recruitment drives for foster parents, there is still a need for more foster parents to meet the challenges of emergency and short-term placements as well as multiple placements.

“We will continue to employ creative ways of increasing community response to this need.”