Hammersmith & Fulham Council is backing a national charity’s calls to recruit new families for foster children.
The Fostering Network this week (December 20) announced that at least 8,750 new foster families need to be found across the UK in the next year to avoid a crisis in foster care in 2012.
In Hammersmith, at least 20 new carers are needed every year to make sure children in the council’s care can be looked after in a loving family environment. Since April 2010, more than 400 people have contacted the council about becoming a carer, but H&F still needs more people to step forward. Carers come from a variety of backgrounds and all walks of life – carers must be over 23-years-old, but can be single, in a couple, live in or out of the borough, and be of any race or sexual orientation.
Councillor Helen Binmore, cabinet member for children’s services, said:
“I have met many foster carers in the last few years, and they are all wonderful, caring and inspirational people. We are so lucky to have them but there are definitely lots more people out there who could do something incredible by becoming a foster carer. We need them to come forward and offer children a safe and loving home, to make a real difference and positive impact on their lives.
"Our next open day, where people can find out more about becoming a carer, is coming up on January 11, and we hope to see many more potential carers there!”
The next open days are on January 11, 10am-12pm, at Hammersmith Town Hall, with a presentation at 10.30am, and on February 8, 6-8pm at Hammersmith Town Hall, with a presentation starting at 6.30pm.
The number of looked after children in H&F has fallen for the fifth year running, in sharp contrast to the national trend, where the number of children in care who need foster homes has risen for five years in a row.
There are currently 230 looked after children in the council’s care – the lowest number in the last five years. Since 2006, that figure has fallen by 36 per cent - from 390 in 2006 to 250 at the end of March 2011. In the same time period, nationally, the number of children being looked after by local authorities increased by nine per cent, going up from 60,300 to 65,520.
H&F Council has also worked hard to reduce the number of children living in residential care – going from 50 to 20 over the past five years – instead placing young people with foster carers, who provide a much-needed loving and family environment.
The Fostering Network’s research showed that there is an ageing foster carer population and around 14 per cent of the workforce retire or leave every year.
Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said:
“All children in care need a family they can grow up with who can love them, be ambitious for them and help them achieve their potential. For a growing number, foster care is the best option.
“Foster carers come from all walks of life, from teachers to factory workers and builders to nurses. If you want to work with children and have the right skills to foster, then you can help make a real difference to children in your area.”
An extra 7,100 foster carers are needed in England, 1,000 in Scotland, 550 in Wales and 100 in Northern Ireland.
For more information on fostering and how to become a foster carer, visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/fostering, email: fostering@lbhf.gov.uk or call Freephone 0800 169 3497, or come along to one of our open days, to speak to carers, social workers and former foster children.
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