Could you, or a family member or friend consider fostering a local child who needs you? Fostering Fortnight is a great chance to think about what we can offer.
As parents, we know how much children depend on a stable, caring family home life. Unfortunately, some children can’t rely on their own family, and are being looked after by Suffolk County Council. Usually, these children will live with a foster carer, either for a few weeks, or perhaps for much longer. But there aren’t enough people in Suffolk coming forward as carers, so some local children are very much losing out.
As a mother myself, I so respect the work that Suffolk’s foster carers do for children who, through no fault of their own, can’t stay with their own family. I can’t think of anything more valuable for our community, now and far into the future, than helping to look after a needy child. It’s a chance to make a big positive difference to someone’s life – how often do we get that chance? Please do think about whether you could offer your help. You will be paid the going rate, and have great support from council staff. Do phone us for a chat, or have a look at all the information on our website. It could be the best thing you will ever do!
There are about 700 children looked after by Suffolk County Council and around 300 local foster carers. Many more carers are still needed from all the communities in Suffolk to make sure that children in our care have the best chance of being looked after by local foster carers. Foster carers can be married or not, have children at home or not, we need all sorts! Talk to us if you’re not sure its for you.
The shortage of foster carers means that children may not always be able to live near enough to their local area to be able to go to the same school, or that their brothers and sisters have to live with another foster family which is not nearby. These situations make it much harder for children to cope with being in care. We are looking to recruit more foster carers to join the Suffolk Fostering Service to make sure these children get all the support, care and attention that they need and deserve.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer please call 0800 328 2148 or log on to www.suffolkfostering.com
