Can you change a future?

Monday 13 May 2019

As Foster Care Fortnight gets underway across the UK, Guernsey's Family Placement Service is calling for more adults in the Bailiwick to consider becoming a carer.

The service is looking for ten new foster families with a particular need for those who can care for school-aged children, sibling groups and teenagers.

Fostering offers children and young people a home when they are unable to live with their birth family. Sometimes they only stay with a foster family for a few days, while others will live with that family for their entire childhood and beyond.

Although fostering is often a full-time role, those with less time on their hands could still help by meeting the demand for short-break carers. These carers give time to support children with disabilities who are still living at home with their families.

Specialist foster care has also been developed successfully in Guernsey, enabling the service to provide family-based care locally for children with disabilities and complex additional needs.

Pictured: Image from previous Foster Care Walk.

"Our foster carers come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a wide range of life and work experiences with them," said Karen Reade from the Family Placement Service. "They offer children love, warmth and stability, working as part of a team of professionals. They receive excellent training and support from the Family Placement Service and the Reparative Care Team; a new service with a remit to provide additional support and training on therapeutic parenting to foster carers.

"Foster carers also receive an allowance to cover the cost of looking after the children in their care, as well as a weekly fee.

"The Family Placement Team, together with some of our amazing foster carers will be out and about in the community during Foster Care Fortnight."

Chief Executive of The Fostering Network, Kevin Williams, added: "The theme of this year's Foster Care Fortnight is '#changeafuture', reflecting the vital role that fostering plays in our society and the fact that we know that good foster care can transform lives and change futures.

"Foster carers are amazing people, but we really do need more of them. A wider pool of foster carers enables fostering services to be able to match the needs of each child more closely with the particular skills that each foster carer brings, and to find the right home for each child. That's why, as part of Foster Care Fortnight, we are urging people in Guernsey and Alderney to get in touch with their fostering service today."

Anyone who has a spare bedroom and is interested in fostering is encouraged to get in touch with service via change@guernseyfostercare.com or calling 713230.

A new website for the service is currently being developed, but in the meantime more information is available at guernseyfostercare.com.