A new appeal to find foster carers for children and young people in Leicestershire has been launched to mark Foster Care Fortnight.
There are currently almost 700 children and young people in the care of Leicestershire County Council, which means the authority is constantly looking for people from all walks of life to become foster carers.
Foster Care Fortnight runs until May 22, and highlights the great work being done by foster carers to encourage more people to come forward to find out about opening their homes to a young person who needs a loving family.
Tracey, a foster carer for the council who has taken care of around 20 children and young people, said: “Watching a child come out of their shell and interact more and more with the family is wonderful. Knowing you have played a small part in making that happen is very rewarding.”
We have many wonderful foster carers who provide loving and supportive homes for children and young people in care, but more people are urgently needed to come forward to foster, if we want to make sure that our children can stay local and be cared for in their community.
If you think you have the space in your home and your heart, and the skills needed to help children and young people thrive, please get in touch with us to find out more.
The fostering community is open to everyone who wants to make a difference in the life of a child or young person.
We highly appreciate everything our foster carers do for children and young people in care, and we can’t thank them enough.
Person:Councillor Deborah Taylor, deputy council leader and cabinet member for children and family services
The council hopes to recruit mainstream foster carers and supported lodgings providers for teenagers, as well as specialist foster carers to care for the most vulnerable young people.
Foster carers will receive generous allowances and a wide range of services and support from an experienced and knowledgeable team 365 days a year.
Local training and a dedicated placement support team are available as well as regular events and celebration evenings to meet other foster carers. There is also support for foster children with their education through a Virtual School.
More information is available on the Leicestershire fostering website or by calling 0116 3050505.
The fostering team is holding a virtual Find Out About Fostering event via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 18 May at 6:30pm.
More information and details about how to book a place are available on the Find out about fostering events page.
Notes to editor
A short video to mark Foster Care Fortnight 2022 has been created, featuring staff from across the service, sharing why they do what they do and talking about the reward of finding safe and loving homes for children and young people around the county.
Some foster families look after children and young people on a short-term basis, some for a couple of nights, some for a few months, while others can offer them a secure, permanent home.
Foster carers provide support and care in a family setting and enable children and young people to stay in their local community with everything that is familiar to them. This minimises further disruption to their lives by helping them stay in their school, close to their friends, and maintaining connections with other family members.