Posted on Tuesday 25th January 2022
People looking for a new challenge or career in 2022 are being urged to consider becoming a foster carer.
As part of its New Year campaign to fill the urgent need for foster families, Staffordshire County Council is asking people to consider fostering as the next step in their lives.
Supporting the campaign, is Staffordshire Foster carer Tanya Budd who with her husband Philip have been fostering for Staffordshire for 7 years.
Tanya will be sharing her experiences and highlighting the many benefits of fostering during a live stream on Friday 28 January at 10am on Facebook. Joining her will be social worker Terry McDermott who will be able to answer people’s questions about fostering. People can access the event on Facebook using the following link facebook.com/fosterforstaffs
Tanya now wants people to join her for the live stream and said:
“Fostering is a very rewarding role to do and it amazing to see the difference you can make to a child’s life.
“We mainly foster teenagers long-term and we love it. We support them with their school work, advocate for them and it’s great to see them making progress.
“Most people can foster and it’s really easy to get started and there is lots of local support and training available to you. I would encourage anyone thinking about it to join us on Friday and find out more.”
Staffordshire needs to find 180 new foster families over the next three years, with a particular need for carers for teenagers and sibling groups. Now, the county’s Fostering Service wants to hear from anyone interested in becoming a foster carer.
Mark Sutton, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Staffordshire County Council said:
“Our foster families make a real difference to the lives of hundreds of children in Staffordshire every day. Not only do they provide a loving home but they also give them stability and consistency.
“It’s really important that we have enough families to care for the children that come into our care so we would encourage any Staffordshire residents who have been considering becoming a foster carer to watch the live stream and find out more.
“We know that there will be people who are thinking about changing career or looking for a new challenge, so I’d urge them to get in touch with the team and find out more. Being a foster carer can be a career, and you’ll get support and access to training in your local area.
“Most people can foster. You simply need to care about children, have good communication skills, have a spare bedroom and be ready for a challenge. Joining one of our drop-in events or live Facebook streams could be your first step to becoming a foster carer.”
People interested in becoming a foster carer with Staffordshire County Council can find out more by visiting www.fosterforstaffordshire.co.uk or by calling 0800 169 2061.