Sabine Oswald is a stopover for many children - but an extremely important one.
We visited the standby foster family.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen – Julia doesn't speak much.
Especially not with strangers.
But when the four-year-old sits on Sabine Oswald's lap, she almost starts to babble by her standards.
Then she talks about the eggs that "Goldi", a bantam, could have laid and how much she likes to eat eggs.
Julia (personal data changed) has only been part of Sabine Oswald's family for four months.
It's unclear how much longer she will be.
A temporary mom: foster mother gives an insight into her work
Oswald is a stand-by foster mom.
She could not stay with her birth family.
The youth welfare office makes such decisions, as Diana Eichmüller from the foster children's specialist service of the district office explains.
A so-called taking into care can have different reasons: Violence in the parental home, unsolvable and heavily burdening conflicts or psychiatric crises can be a reason.
"It's always about the child's welfare," says Eichmüller.
If this is endangered to such an extent that the office can no longer stand by, it takes care of the child.
In such cases, Eichmüller and her colleagues look for people like Sabine Oswald.
Standby foster family: Children stay for several weeks - sometimes even months
When Julia arrived at her house, the little one was distraught.
"She was just taken from her family, which is incredibly difficult for a kid to understand," explains Oswald.
Suddenly Julia was part of a strange family.
Although only for a limited time, as her foster family knows, a four-year-old can probably hardly realize that.
This moment of arrival is important for living together.
Oswald is warm, sensitive.
So she tries to get access to the child.
“You have to deal with him authentically,” she knows from experience.
Julia is her fourth foster child.
"Children can tell if you mean well and honestly with them." This applies not only to the 52-year-old, but also to her husband and 13-year-old son.
"We integrate the kids into our family and routine." When the Oswalds sit down for dinner,
Julia is there.
When friends come to visit, Julia gets to know them.
And when the family goes on a trip, Julia sits in the child seat.
The wish: The children can go back to their families - and live there without any problems
The stay with the family should last six to eight weeks – at least that is how the legislator defines it.
"But experience shows that it often takes much longer," explains Eichmüller.
It is usually because judicial decisions or psychological reports take time.
What happens after this accommodation is not certain at the time of moving in.
The ideal solution would be for the little ones to be able to return to their own families because the problems have been solved there.
If that doesn't work, some of them move to a foster family, where they can stay indefinitely, or come to an institution.
Pedagogical work is important: "The time is often very healing for the children"
The standby foster family requires a great deal of pedagogical skill.
When Julia moved in, the girl showed some abnormalities in behavior.
The little one didn't go to the toilet alone, didn't want to eat on her own.
A lot has happened in the meantime.
"She's dry, she eats all by herself and has become more independent," says Sabine Oswald, smiling her warm smile.
The well-planned daily routine in the new environment gave the little one security, the open-heartedness of her current family ensures that the little one feels comfortable.
"Time spent with the family is often very healing for the children," explains Eichmüller.
Julia meets her family regularly, mostly at a playground.
Sabine Oswald does not come to these meetings.
"We tried that for a while, but it was difficult because I kept separating her from her family when I said goodbye." Now a youth welfare worker is there, and when Julia comes back, her foster mother is already waiting for her.
In Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen there are five standby foster families - and a much greater need
Oswald has been engaged in this role for a year.
Your phone number is one of five that the youth welfare office dials when you are about to be taken into care.
This happened 40 times in the county last year.
"We could still need support," says Eichmüller.
In principle, every family model could be considered for this work.
The environment just has to be right.
Interested parties are informed about the work and the difficulties associated with it during informational talks.
They present medical reports and a certificate of good conduct and go through a preparatory course if the foster children's specialist service of the district office gives the go-ahead after two or three home visits including discussions with all family members.
What is particularly important?
"You have to have time for the child," says Eichmüller.
Like Oswald, who resigned from the health department because she longed for practical work with children after the contactless Corona years.
“And above all, it is important that they are warm-hearted, that they have a certain level of parenting skills and that they are tolerant towards the children.
You can read the latest news from Wolfratshausen, Geretsried and the surrounding area here
Julia's gaze wanders through the garden, past the blue tree house and the swing to the chicken coop that she helped build.
"Balls," she says hopefully again.
"Shall we see if 'Goldi' has laid one?" Sabine Oswald asks her.
Julia grins broadly, climbs off her foster mother's lap, takes her by the hand and walks with her to the chickens.
She laughs and speaks.
Julia has gained trust in her foster mother.
