In the time it takes you to read this article, one child in the UK will have been taken in to care.
Statistics tell us that every 20 minutes in the UK and Northern Ireland a child gets taken into care. That’s one more child in need of a foster family every 20 minutes.
We also know that many foster carers consider fostering for a very long time – 3 years or even longer – before they even make their first serious enquiry.
And that’s understandable. After all, deciding to foster is a big decision.
But in the time it takes many people to decide to follow-up their interest in fostering, over 78,000 children will have gone through the care system. And that’s huge.
So as it's Foster Care Fortnight, we at Family Fostercare would like to take the opportunity to fling open the doors and shout from the rooftops, encouraging everyone and anyone who has ever considered fostering, even for the most fleeting of moment, to simply get in touch and find out more. Because NOW is the "Time to Foster, Time to Care" #FCF2016
Here's how:
Visit Our Website:
There’s loads of information about what it takes to be a foster carer, what it’s like to foster children, and about the practical and financial arrangements of fostering on our website, plus profiles of our regional fostering teams, office locations and contact details, and all the latest news about what the Family Fostercare family has been up to.
Request Our Fostering Information Pack:
There is more in depth information and a handy checklist in our Fostering Information Pack, which you can request online on our website, via Facebook or by calling your local offices direct. Your Information Pack can be emailed to you, or sent to you in the post.
Call in at the Your Local Office:
Perhaps you would rather speak with someone straight away? Why not call in at your local office, or phone and arrange and appointment to meet with one of our friendly team for a relaxed, no-commitment chat.
Come Along to a Coffee Morning, Open Day or Fostering Information Event:
Visit the events page on our website or follow us on Facebook to hear about any events coming up in your area. There’s always a warm welcome, tea or coffee and biscuits and cake on offer, as well as the chance to find out about fostering in a very relaxed environment with no pressure and no follow-up unless you ask us. You may even get the chance to meet some of our experienced foster carers to find out first-hand what it’s like to foster.
Like Us on Facebook:
Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the activities and events our foster families and staff get up to, plus useful articles and information on fostering – and the occasional children’s art competition judging!
For the rest of the fortnight we thought we would take the opportunity to hear from a range of different people from around the Family Fostercare family on what they think it takes to be a great foster carer. Look out for our posts on Facebook and Twitter, or check in at our website. We’ll be publishing a new article every other day (by which time 144 more children will have been taken into care), starting Tuesday 17th May 2016, so. We hope you will find the articles informative and that they will encourage you to come forward and find out more.
See you tomorrow!
#FCF2016