A NEW campaign is urging people across Staffordshire to consider becoming foster carers.
Staffordshire County Council has launched the Open Your Heart, Share Your Home initiative in a bid to find families for vulnerable children.
Among those supporting the campaign are foster carers Amy and Ben Grainger.
Amy said:
“The new year is when a lot of people look for a new challenge or make a new year’s resolution – and we would like to see more families choosing to become foster carers.
“We thought about fostering for a few years ourselves before we actually took the leap. We knew we could definitely open our home to a child in need and we’re so glad we did it.
“The process for us was straight forward, we enquired online and we were set up with a social worker who visited and carried out our assessment, and we found it really easy to go through.”
Ben added:
“Because we have a daughter and wanted to make sure it worked for everyone, the fostering team were really good at helping us to select the type of fostering that was good for all of us.
“There’s a lot of support and training available and there’s always someone to answer any questions you may have. There are also lots of support groups you can attend and we’ve made lots of friends, too.
“I would say to anyone thinking about fostering to go for it. It’s incredibly rewarding and you won’t look back.”
Staffordshire County Council estimates that 60 new foster families will be needed this year.
Cllr Nick Lakin, cabinet member for children and young people, said:
“We are always looking for new foster families to come forward so we can give children the opportunity to grow up in a loving home.
“The new year can be a great time to think about making changes in your life or setting new challenges, and this year we’re supporting Ben and Amy in their call for people to consider fostering.
“All sorts of people from all walks of life can and do foster with us and you’re never on your own. There’s always advice on hand and lots of training available. Please get in touch with us if you think you can make a difference.”
For more details on fostering visit the county council’s website or call 0800 169 2061.
