After several admissions to the child and adolescent psychiatric emergency department, Tuva needed a new place to live. But getting a foster home for teens is not always easy. – And who wants an 18-year-old with ADHD? – I thought it was completely hopeless, that I had no future and that everything would go smoothly, Tuva explains. The team around Tuva agreed that she could not stay at home. But Tuva also did not want to live with strangers in foster homes. It was just a place she wanted to live – with the environmental therapist Anette Svendsen, who had often been the contact to Tuva at work and been there when she needed comfort. Anette has not regretted becoming a foster mother. Photo: Tina Brock / news Had to quit her job Anette was not aware that Tuva had asked the child welfare service to live with her. She was skeptical and at first said no. – I was taken to bed when I was asked the question. I never asked Tuva to do that. But I would probably have done the same, had I been in her situation, says Anette. In the days after she was asked, she had pain in both her stomach and heart. – Finally, I changed my mind. The guidelines are clear that one should not get involved privately with patients. Anette was aware of this when she made the difficult choice. Still, she took the chance of losing her job. Head of department Hege Frostad Dahle in the communication department of Vestre Viken HF can not comment specifically on Anette and Tuva’s case, but says on a general basis that patients are entitled to security in treatment situations. – It entails requirements that health professionals act professionally and that they are able to clearly distinguish between professional and private relationships, says Dahle. Anette was fired due to role mixing. It is difficult to get new foster homes for teenagers Being a foster home for young people can at times be demanding and a great deal of effort must be made, says Solveig Morten Buraas. She is the department head in the foster home service Region East. Solveig Morten Buraas says many are reluctant to become foster homes for teenagers. Photo: Bufetat She confirms that it can be difficult to get foster homes for teenagers. – Many people are reluctant to accept teenagers because they believe that they have experienced a lot of difficult and painful upbringing, and that they may have a behavior that is difficult to deal with. But the reality is different, Buraas emphasizes. – The fewest young people who move to foster homes are criminals, drug addicts or extravagant. It is important to remember that the expression young people have can be about fear and low self-esteem, she says. Sets boundaries But Anette and Tuva are still in no doubt that this was the right choice for them. – Anette was the only one who came in on me. I did not want to end up in a foster home with someone I did not know, I have done that before. That’s not cool. You never know if you fit in and if there are good people, Tuva explains. Anette Svendsen takes Tuva on a walk in the woods. Photo: Tina Brock / news Anette works a lot to set boundaries, make agreements and keep agreements. But most important of all: That Tuva should feel safe. – I want her to know that she does not have to move anything more, says Anette and looks at her foster daughter. – What is it like to live with Anette, then? – I really enjoy it. I do not regret that I asked. I have told Anette that I will stay with her until I turn 35, Tuva jokes.
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– Who would want an 18-year-old with ADHD? – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
