More carers needed for local children please!
The need for more carers for local children has never been more urgent.
Nick Bardsley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services and education, said:
“Our priority is to recruit enough local carers to avoid Shropshire children having to go out of the county to be looked after.
“Our carers come from all walks of life – and your age, gender and ethnic background are not barriers to being a great foster carer, and neither do you need to own your own home or have a partner. You simply need to be able to give the support and care a child needs. Many of our carers combine this with other work, while others are able to make it a full-time role. We can fit fostering around you.”
Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke and Telford & Wrekin are now collaborating on an appeal to coincide with Foster Care Fortnight, led by the fostering charity The Fostering Network.
Foster Care Fortnight 2018 – the Fostering Network
The fortnight, from 14 to 27 May 2018, highlights the importance of fostering and shows the difference that foster care makes to the lives of fostered children and young people.
This is all part of a regional approach and way of working together which is symbolised by the new logo of ‘foster for your council’.
Foster for your council
As well as offering fees and allowances for foster carers, the council’s support network is also always there for new carers.
Pam from Wem said:-
“When I first applied to foster I was really nervous, but I was put in touch with a great group of people who have been through all the challenges foster caring can throw at you. All the people we meet through fostering have inspired us and we have learnt so much from all the children that have stayed with us. Everybody supports each other and wants you to succeed.”
Another key issue for prospective foster carers is how confident they will be with taking on older or more complex children.
Anne from Whitchurch said:
“We talked it through as a family and decided to apply. At first we had quite definite ideas about the ages of the children we wanted to foster.
“The ages of the children we fostered ranged from under five to teenagers, and you soon realise that their ages don’t matter: it is a child or young person and they all need that time and support.”
All sorts of people from all walks of life can and do foster and people are never on their own. There’s always advice on hand and lots of training available. People who want to foster simply need to care about children, have good communication skills, have a spare room and be ready for a challenge. If this sounds like you then please get in touch with us on 0800 783 8798 or visit our website at http://www.shropshirefostering.co.uk/
The overarching message of this year’s Foster Care Fortnight campaign is that foster care transforms lives, not just those of the children and young people who are fostered, but also the lives of foster carers, their families and all those who are involved in fostering.
