Time for some new foster kids?

[alexx]

Well, how many of the "foster kids" in the past have been actual foster kids?Has Irene ever actually fostered anyone or just had them living with her?How many of the waifs and strays Alf and Ailsa picked up were actually fostered?Tamara moved into Irene's house as a lodger and is treated as such but Spencer and Maddy are another matter.Whatever the technical status, it does seem like Roo and Harvey have taken on a parent/guardian role for them which would seem to mean they qualify.

I'm not talking about the technical terms and processes. I'm talking about how they don't seem like foster kids to me (compared to previous foster kids).

I haven't seen the show for a good few weeks now though, so I've probably missed a lot of Roo and Harvey's involvement. But from what I did see, yes they are being great friends and guardians, but I just cant see Maddy and Spencer as kids, they appear so independent and adult like and Roo and Harvey are giving them a place to stay.

[John]

Nothing stays the same and this applies to the show we love as well.

Broadly Spencer and Maddie are young people in need of support. They may not be in exactly the same mould as foster kids past but for me the principle is the same. Older and more experienced characters getting alongside younger and less experienced characters and giving them care, support and mentoring.

I like the way the show is keeping in touch with the principles of its past but is not afraid to develop and change to meet changing times.

[Inactive User]

And it would be nice to see Irene become a foster mum again someday... And I like her scenes with the Scott girls as they live together.

[Light of the Bay]

Yes Irene desperately needs a purpose. But Lynne has hinted that there's plenty I surprises in store for her in 2013.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, how many of the "foster kids" in the past have been actual foster kids?Has Irene ever actually fostered anyone or just had them living with her?How many of the waifs and strays Alf and Ailsa picked up were actually fostered?Tamara moved into Irene's house as a lodger and is treated as such but Spencer and Maddy are another matter.Whatever the technical status, it does seem like Roo and Harvey have taken on a parent/guardian role for them which would seem to mean they qualify.

I'm not talking about the technical terms and processes. I'm talking about how they don't seem like foster kids to me (compared to previous foster kids).

I haven't seen the show for a good few weeks now though, so I've probably missed a lot of Roo and Harvey's involvement. But from what I did see, yes they are being great friends and guardians, but I just cant see Maddy and Spencer as kids, they appear so independent and adult like and Roo and Harvey are giving them a place to stay.

I know they seemed pretty independent when they first came in, and the fact they look older than they're meant to be doesn't help, but that could probably be said of a lot of kids in the past:Fin took a long time to accept being "one of the foster kids", Belle was reluctant to acknowledge Irene as a guardian, Ric didn't exactly seem like your typical moppet at first...We've seen Roo getting them ready for school and getting Maddy's uniform adjusted, we've seen them standing up to Spencer's father on their behalf and the kids recognising that being with them feels more like home than with their parents, basically all the scenes you'd want and hope for with this sort of storyline.

[Inactive User]

Yes Irene desperately needs a purpose. But Lynne has hinted that there's plenty I surprises in store for her in 2013.

I think I did read about it too somewhere on the internet. Sounds really exciting for what would be in store for her this year

[Fyn3]

I like the way the show is keeping in touch with the principles of its past but is not afraid to develop and change to meet changing times.

Very well said and I couldn't agree more!

I have recently started watching the Early Years episodes that they are showing on 7Two at the moment. It has been over 20yrs since I last watched these episodes and it has made me appreciate how much the show has evolved over time.

It is easy to get nostalgic about the past but if the show had not kept up with the times it would no longer be still running. The old small town feel and innocence that some people miss would not work in the current climate in my opinion. Shows with a similar feel to early Home and Away like A Country Practice are long gone.

The current show is light, vibrant and fast paced which it needs to be. But at the same time it is nice that the past is not completely forgotten and they do remember their roots. Fostering is an important part of the show and I think it's good that they have tried a new spin on this with Maddie and Spencer.

[TelephotoMarigold]

I think people need to take some deep breaths and actually read what they type out before they hit post. The facts are that Maddy and Spencer are NOT foster kids. They are not in the system and have not been through DOCs. Ok, can we agree that those are correct.

Second, Maddie and Spencer are not brother and sister they are in fact in a relationship with each other. Because of this you can't assign them to the more normal family roles that would be expected with foster kids. They are older and more independent and come across as 'lodgers' more than how actual foster kids would. Add in the fact that the only reason either of them are in Summer Bay is that they 'felt' they were receiving harsh treatment because they were not allowed to see each other just makes them appear spoiled.

Maddie's later bratty behaviour could be argued that she was testing the boundaries with Roo however it gave an insight into the way she must have been at home and how she is likely to have reacted to her own parents/mother.

In my opinion the whole way they have been introduced and the back story is weak. It is divisive. These aren't kids in 'need' and in danger of suffering abuse or neglect and that is the difference between what some fans would call real 'foster kids'.

Furthermore this storyline isn't some kind of homage to previous storylines or an attempt to keep the show moving forward. This isn't a new spin on the 'fostering' aspect of the show it's just a device to add in new characters and to give Roo and Harvey a storyline that doesn't involve them arguing/making up/arguing. Roo's empathy with them on the basis that she herself ran away doesn't hold much water as her reasons for running were different and despite her angst she now has what some would describe a good relationship with her father.

[John]

I'm happy to agree with some of your post although I find the first sentence condescending and objectionable.

As you point out Spencer and Maddie are not foster children in a strictly legal sense. Nor are they suffering neglect. They are older and in a relationship and I don't see them filling the traditional family roles.

Maddie's behaviour has been "bratty" at times like most teenagers.

However excessively controlling behaviour as exhibited by Maddie's mum in her visit and the back story we have heard does constitute abuse of someone Maddie's age.

Spencer's father's bullying and standover tactics as exhibited during his visit and described in the back story also constitute abuse.

I work in an Australian legal system so some of the ages and definitions may vary in other places but the show is set in a mythical Australian town. If Maddie and Spencer are over 16 they are entitled to live independently and would even be entitled to some government support payments. The tragedy of that is that sometimes young people of that age do need mentoring from supportive older people and don't get it.

In my opinion this is a good storyline and, although not strictly a foster kid situation, it contains the same ethos of older people mentoring/supporting younger people who for some reason don't have family support.

I don't see it as a plot device but a new approach to the old theme which saw various young people in the past mentored and supported by the older couples in the Bay.

The word homage is yours not mine, ( I am wondering why you threw that in ) I don't see this storyline as any sort of tribute to the past but a development of a theme from the past. Whether people like it or not is up to them.

[TelephotoMarigold]

I've found a number of posts in this thread objectionable as people who have stated that Maddie and Spencer are not foster kids are continually shouted down.

Yes, homage was my own choice of word and I was referencing how some are seeing this storyline as some kind of tribute to previous H&A storylines about fostering. For anyone not familiar with the word it means, amongst other definitions, 'Special honour or respect shown or expressed publicly.' This storyline is not paying tribute to the shows history of fostering it has simply introduced some new teens into the Bay.

Again it is mentioned that Maddie and Spencer are escaping bullying/pushing/emotional abuse but isn't that debatable? We saw a small snapshot of their parents and very little interaction between them. We do not know how they were full time. Whilst emotional abuse is a legitimate problem the fact that we did see so little and have really only heard the story from Maddie's and Spencer's pov we can't immediately jump to that conclusion even though it appears we are meant too.