Our Foster For Plymouth team will be out and about in the city centre over the next fortnight as the Foster Care Fortnight gets into full swing.
The team has just spent the weekend on the quayside for Pirates Weekend and are looking forward to talking to anyone thinking about fostering. They will be roving around the city centre every day from 9 to 20 May and in the coming weeks the team will be popping up at Lord Mayor’s Day and Armed Forces Day.
Foster Care Fortnight aims to showcase the commitment, passion and dedication of foster carers and supports fostering services to highlight the need for more foster carers. Thousands of new foster families are needed every year to care for children, in particular for older children, sibling groups, disabled children and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
This year's theme is #FosteringCommunities to celebrate the strength and resilience of fostering communities and all they do to ensure children are cared for and supported to thrive.
Here’s what one Plymouth foster carer who recently went through the assessment process while COVID-19 restrictions were in place had to say.
“We had the most amazing assessor who took us through every step of the process and answered all our questions and worries without delay! Training also meant that we could meet other potential foster carers going through the same thing as us, which gave us even more support and are still our friends to this day!
“Since qualifying our supervising social worker has been there for us every step of the way and has supported us through all the ups and downs of our first placement. Always there for the whole family when we need support or advice. During the school holidays, there are often events and days out organised by the social committee. This, again, gives us a chance to meet other foster carers and make connections with others within the fostering service.
"Fostering is probably the most challenging thing we have ever done, but more importantly, it is the most rewarding thing we have ever done!”
Foster carers can be single or couples; with or without children, retired, unemployed or working. What matters most is that potential carers have time, space, commitment, patience, a caring nature and skills to work with children and their families.
Fostering can be for as little as a few weeks or a few months until a child is able to return home to their family or longer term until a child grows up and is able to move on to independence.
Full training and support is given to foster carers following their approval at foster panel. The type of approval reflects their lifestyles and commitments. Carers are paid an allowance which reflects the real cost of looking after a child.
The Foster for Plymouth team will be sharing stories from #FosteringCommunities on social media as well as hosting lots of information sessions for people to find out more. For more information contact the recruitment advisor on 01752 308762.
Jean Kelly, Service Director for Children, Young People and families said: "Foster carers in Plymouth provide invaluable care for local children who cannot live with their own families for many reasons. I want to thank them for their committed and dedicated care and support during such difficult circumstances over the past two years."
To finding out more about Fostering for Plymouth contact the team on 01752 304067 or visit www.fosterforplymouth.co.uk