According to the Fostering Network, which leads the awareness fortnight, around 9,265 more foster families are needed across the UK.
“Foster carers who can support sibling groups are particularly needed, to ensure that children can be cared for together and don’t lose vital connections to their family,” the charity says.
CYP Now shares advice from experienced foster carers for those interested in taking on the role:
Redbridge Council
Savita, 66, is a foster carer with Redbridge Council who is currently caring for two young people.
Both have agreed to enter “staying put” agreements which means they can stay at her home until they are 21.
She has previously cared for around 10 young people aged eight to 18 through long-term, short-term, respite and emergency placements.
One young person cared for by Savita came to the UK from Eritrea as an unaccompanied asylum seeking child and has been living with her for two-and-a-half years another teenage girl has been living with her for around 10 months.
Savita, who has three adult sons, began fostering after taking early retirement from a corporate career three years ago.
She said: “I thought I’d really like to give something back to the community and foster care was the first thing that came into mind.
“I didn’t know much about it, I just went on the Redbridge Council website because it seemed like the easiest and most simple thing to do.
“I reached out to see what I could offer as a foster carer and I haven’t looked back.”
Savita praised the support offered to her by Redbridge Council saying: “I can’t speak highly enough about the support I’ve had throughout my journey as a foster carer. From the foster teams, from everyone I’ve worked with. If you don’t get the answer, there is always someone else who will help you - collectively as a team they have always been there and I wouldn’t have been able to get there without that support.”
One highlight of her time as a foster carer was taking her Eritrean foster son to his first live football game, Savita said.
“He said one of his wishes would be to see a football match live and you should have seen his face when I presented him with tickets and said ‘we’re going to go together and spend the day together’. That, I think, was a time when he felt really connected with me and thought ‘this foster mum is really going out of her way and she really cares about me’ - our relationship flourished from there,” she added.
Offering advice to those considering becoming a foster carer, Savita highlighted the importance of having a strong support network and “taking each day as it comes”.
“When that young person walks through the door, all they want is comfort and care and love, somewhere they can feel safe. For me my mentality has always been ‘extend a helping hand if you can’.
“Take every day as it comes, don’t say ‘I expect this from that young person’ or ‘they should expect this from me’,” she added.
Oxfordshire County Council
Susan Hannon, from Oxford, has been fostering children with Oxfordshire County Council for 35 years and is encouraging others to “give it a try”.
Susan is a single carer with two children of her own. They were aged 10 and 16 when she began. They are now adults with their own children.
Susan has fostered both long-term and short-term and has also offered emergency care placements. Most of the young people she fosters have additional needs.
She said: “To be a foster carer, I would say you need to be a patient person. You need to have a calm manner; and a relaxed, welcoming, and safe home environment. You certainly need an open mind and open heart. It will take time to get to know the child you foster. You must live with and experience them for who they are to truly help them.”
Looking back at how she got started she added: “My son had a friend at school whose parents were foster carers, and this prompted me to enquire. I met with a social worker and was approved in 1987.
“I love to take the children on holidays: Denmark, Disney Florida, Jamaica, Disney Paris, and many UK trips. All children deserve a holiday and I love seeing the excitement on their faces when they experience these adventures. I don’t mind being forgotten; I just want them to have some nice memories from their childhood.”
Susan’s message to anyone in two minds about fostering is: “You don’t know until you try – that’s one of my mottos I use with children. So, if you’re thinking about fostering, contact your council and ask for more information.”
Essex County Council
A young adult from Essex who credits his foster carers in helping him get to where he is today is encouraging more people to come forward and foster.
Michael, aged 23, from Basildon in Essex was in foster care for nine years from the age of nine to 18.
He said his foster parents Rachael and Derrick “made me feel like I had a home”.
“With them, I was just like everyone else. I had that stability and safety, which many people take for granted, and it’s those little things that make such a big difference,” he added.
“They helped me become more confident and come out of my shell a lot more and just helped me open up as a person. They made me feel seen and heard. I could talk to them about anything, and it wouldn’t faze them, they just listened and supported me.”
Derrick and Rachael, who are also from Basildon, have been fostering for 31 years and nine years respectively and have fostered many young people long-term to help set them up for the future.
They said: “We love fostering, it does come with its challenges, but that’s why we do it. We want to help children who haven’t had the same opportunities as ours did.
“They’re all part of our family and when they tell us they’ve got that job they wanted, or they’ve got into the university they wanted, we feel so proud of them. We know that it’s down to our support, that we are making that difference and helping them grow up and set them up for the future.”
Birmingham Children’s Trust
According to Birmingham Children’s Trust, more fostering households are needed in the city to make sure every child that can’t live with their own family gets the care they need and are well supported within their community.
Foster carers who can support sibling groups and teenagers are particularly needed locally, the trust added.
Mitchell, a local carer with Birmingham Children’s Trust, who looks after teenagers, said: “Raising a teenager is like taking a daily shower; if you rush them they are cold, if you don’t concentrate on them they are a risk, but if you take the time to prepare them, they are the most refreshing part of your day.”
