Simply Fostering News
May 2015
Call for Teachers to Foster
Teachers in the Dorset area are being asked to consider becoming foster carers. People who are currently teaching or who have taught in the past could make ideal candidates for fostering. Skills such as being adaptable and being able to listen to a young person are key factors when it comes to being a foster carer.
A manager from fostering agency FCA, Stephen Hartung said that many of their foster families have a background in teaching and that could be attributed to the fact that there are many similarities between the two roles. He also spoke about how rewarding it is to teachers and foster carers seeing the progress young people make.
Free Sports Centre Membership in Fife
Foster carers in Fife have been offered access to sports and leisure facilities as part of a pilot scheme between Fife Sports and Leisure Trust and Fife Council. The free membership for foster carers, their children and their foster children, includes access to the trust’s gym and swimming pools. This initiative will enable foster families to get active and enjoy leisure time together. Fife Sports and Leisure Trust’s chief operating officer, Wendy Watson, said that she is delighted to offer free memberships to support the work carried out by foster carers and their families and looks forward to welcoming foster families from across Fife.
More Foster Carers needed in Manchester Area
A record level of children in the Manchester area are in foster care as a result of abuse and neglect. Numbers in 2013/14 increased by 22% from figures in 2010/11. As a result, there is a shortage of fostering families in the area. The number of children who need foster placements in the Greater Manchester area is much higher than the national average.
There is also an increase in the number of foster care placements that a fostered child experiences throughout their care – recent figures show an average of 2.11 placements per child compared with 1.58 from 2009/10.
An initiative has been launched by Fostering agency Fostering Solutions called Foster15, a reference to the fact that in England a child is taken into care every 15 minutes. This initiative will run for a couple of months, and will focus on increasing the number of foster carers in the area.
New TV Ad to Recruit Foster Carers
A national TV advert has been commissioned as part of a fostering recruitment campaign by fostering agency Excel Fostering. The campaign called #Sharethelove includes the a 3D animation and will be shown from Monday in prime-time slots. The advert was created by Carlisle based Cloudscape Studios, which is run by Louise Kneath-Gilberston and Ian Gilbertson. The story highlights the positive moments following a young girl growing up in foster care. To view the ad visit www.cloudscapestudios.com.
Cumbria has 670 children in foster care, which is above the national average. The #Sharethelove campaign has been put together to help find homes for children of all ages.
