Louise and Colin Day from Thame have been foster carers for two years. Last year, Louise received Oxfordshire County Council’s Foster Carer of the Year Award, in recognition for her and her husband’s commitment to caring for children. This year the couple have been chosen as this year’s regional ambassadors for Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from May 10 - 23. The couple were praised for transforming the confidence of the first child they cared for; a shy young boy who was partially sighted and non-verbal. The Day’s patiently coaxed out his personality and grew his confidence. They took him on exciting adventures, including on holidays to Spain and Dartmouth.
Maltfield House, Oxford . Picture: Greg Blatchford A CHILDREN s home will be rebuilt in a new location with fewer bedrooms, after girls living there were put at risk of exploitation. Maltfield House, a children s home on Maltfield Road, Northway, was closed by Oxfordshire County Council in 2019 after concerns that its location put girls living there at risk of being exploited. The council set aside a budget of £3m to rebuild the six-bedroom home earlier this year, but now children s services staff have been given approval to decrease the number of rooms to four instead. Lara Patel, the council s deputy director of safeguarding, said Maltfield House was closed down for a variety of reasons, due to both the fabric of the building and the location and the risks that it exposed the girls who were there at the time to.