Football legends to talk about adoption and fostering

THE Minister for Social Services, Samantha Sacramento MP, has today (May 19) met Mark Wright, former captain of England football team and Liverpool FC, who is in Gibraltar with a team of retired professional footballers for a ‘Football Legends’ event.

Alongside the corporate football tournament and the children’s football academy over the weekend, Mark and Sue Wright are working with Minister Sacramento and the Fostering and

Adoption team of the Social Services Department of the Care Agency, to raise awareness and the importance of fostering and adoption.  

The Wrights are foster parents and adoptive parents, and they have a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, which they are happy to share.

Last year, the Care Agency launched an awareness campaign for fostering and adoption, the aim of which is to give the community a better understanding of what it means and how it works in Gibraltar, as well as to inform how this important process can transform the lives of children in care.

A drop-in session for a chat with Mark and Sue Wright and Neville Southall, also a foster parent, has been arranged for 3pm on Saturday May 21, at the pressroom of the Tercentenary Sports Hall at the Victory Stadium.

Minister Sacramento said: “Social Services has worked very hard to develop its fostering and adoption policies because of their importance to the lives of affected children. The Care Agency has undertaken a number of awareness campaigns to raise the profile of adoption and fostering: we are absolutely delighted to have Sue and Mark Wright work with us to bring this important issue to the forefront once again. 

“It is thanks to the generosity of spirit of people who foster and adopt that opportunities are created for children to grow up in family units, and so transform their lives. I am grateful to Sue, Mark and Neville for taking time out of the busy tournament to speak to the community about their experience, and I would encourage anyone considering fostering or adopting to attend tomorrow for a chat with them. Professionals from the Care Agency will also be available for advice.”