Free Fostering Application Service.
Across Wiltshire, there are approximately 120 fostering families, with more than 400 children in need of fostering. As part of Foster Care Fortnight—a national campaign to find 7,000 new carers—Wiltshire Council announced the urgent need for 120 more foster carers to keep up with the increasing demand.
We’re looking for new carers in the Trowbridge area.
Too often, because of a shortfall of carers, there are not enough local placements for children to remain in the Trowbridge area. While a move to Chippenham or Swindon might not seem like a huge leap, for foster children it usually requires them to change schools and lose contact with friendship groups, which only exacerbates the sense of upheaval they are already experiencing.
What children in this situation need above all else is stability. That’s why we’re driven by the goal to ensure that there are enough Trowbridge-based carers to enable vulnerable children to remain in the local area. We’ve experienced the daily frustration of trying to find local placements for children in care. That’s why we set up Simply Fostering, a free online support service for anyone interested in becoming a foster carer. We help simplify the process of becoming a foster carer by pairing you with the best agencies with vacancies in your area.
Trowbridge Fostering in the Spotlight
Recently, an article in the Wiltshire Times highlighted the exceptional work foster carers are already doing in Trowbridge. In 2014, Saeed, an Afghan refugee, was forced to flee violence in his homeland. Despite a treacherous two-year journey through Iran, Hungary and Germany, a nearly emaciated Saeed found himself ditched from a truck by the side of the M4 near Chippenham by his transporters. Many of the other travelers did not survive.
Soon after being picked up, Kerry Beety was contacted by the police. Mrs Beety has been an emergency foster carer in Trowbridge since 2010. Emergency foster carers can be contacted at any time and are normally required to look after a vulnerable young person for up to two weeks. In Saeed’s case, this became a more long-term arrangement. “He was so small and thin when he came to us” recalled Mrs Beety. “But now he is fit and healthy and is almost fluent in English”.
Saeed has seen loved ones die at the hands of the Taliban and has not had contact with his biological family for several years. But a new and immeasurably brighter future is just beginning for him. Despite never having a formal education before entering the UK, Saeed is now doing his GCSEs and is planning to start a catering course at Trowbridge College. He is also a rising star for Trowbridge Rugby Club, and has been awarded the under 15’s players’ player of the year and the spectators’ player of the year. “I am so grateful to these kind people for letting me be part of the family,” said Saeed.
Saeed’s story perfectly captures the transformative effect fostering can have on a child’s life. But there are so many other children who desperately need someone to care for them and provide them with a warm, safe home. In Trowbridge, and the wider Wiltshire area, while there is an urgent need for more foster carers in general, to care for children of all ages, there is a particular need for the following types of carer:
Foster carers to look after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, like Saeed. Many unaccompanied children will have cultural, emotional and language needs that their carers will need to consider.
Carers for parent and child placements—a specialist type of fostering, where a young parent and child, usually a mother and baby, comes to stay with you at a time when they need extra support.
Specialist carers for children with disabilities or additional behavioural needs.
Emergency carers who look after children in the short term before they move on to more permanent placements.
Carers who can provide supported lodgings for teenagers, older unaccompanied young people, and care leavers, moving towards independence.
Whether you’ve been considering fostering for some time, or if you’re interested in learning more about fostering in Trowbridge, you can find out everything you need to know by getting in touch with us.
Don’t put it off, children in the Trowbridge area need you to take the next step and so Come Join the Family!
