Council plea for more foster carers

Do something rewarding- foster

Rochdale Council is appealing for more foster carers as every year more and more children need a secure and stable home.

As Foster Care Fortnight draws to a close this week, the Council is hi-lighting how fostering changes lives for children and for those who decide to provide the homes.

Catherine Lockett, Fostering Team Manager at the Council, said: "All children and young people deserve the best start in life. A secure home and stable upbringing are key to ensuring they have greater life opportunities.

"Unfortunately some children will not be able to get the care and security from their own families and may have suffered distressing times; mental, emotional or physical abuse. This is where foster carers are important; they help vulnerable children out of those situations by providing temporary or permanent homes and ensuring they get the best start in life.

"The benefits of fostering to carers are immense. Carers talk about it being challenging at times, but also say how rewarding it can be, knowing that they have made a real difference to a child.

"Bringing stability to a child, maintaining links with birth families, and seeing children grow, develop and achieve as a result of being part of a family, are all part of what you can expect when fostering."

Rochdale’s fostering team provide support and advice to the foster carers and each carer has a named worker dedicated to their needs.

Foster carers are paid a weekly allowance which increases as carers receive training to develop their skills. All foster carers are given the opportunity to train to NVQ level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People.

Rochdale’s fostering team tries to make sure the child’s needs are matched to the appropriate foster carers. They aim to place children and young people with families able to meet their social, cultural and religious needs, and therefore hope to recruit from all areas of the community.

The team was awarded ‘outstanding’ in all areas in the last Ofsted inspection and described as providing an excellent level of care to keep children safe and healthy. They were also commended for providing a high level of support, training, care and guidance to the foster carers.

Catherine Lockett, Fostering Team Manager at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Rochdale always needs new foster carers to meet the needs of its most vulnerable children. I am sure there are people in the borough who could offer a home to our children and we would love to hear from them.”

Almost anyone can apply to become a foster carer, as long as they are over 21 and have a spare bedroom in a stable home. There are many different ways to become involved - it’s even possible to foster on a part-time basis.

The Fostering Network, a charity dedicated to fostering, has spoken to many celebrities who have had experience with fostering in their lives.

Coleen Rooney said: “Fostering is a vital service that often goes unnoticed. As my own parents have been foster parents since I was very young, I know what a fantastic job foster carers do.

"Every child and young person deserves the love, support and encouragement to succeed in life and look forward to a brighter future.

"I hope Foster Care Fortnight has encouraged more people to come forward and help fill the desperate shortage of foster carers in the UK. It can be a challenging job but one which can enrich whole families and make a real and lasting difference to children's lives.”