Róisín Hegarty-Tait is Fostering Service Manager, Islington

IN the United Kingdom one child comes into care every 15 minutes due to not being able to safely live at home.

We desperately need more foster families for these children.

This is an urgent call for action for more foster carers locally and nationally.

The Fostering Network’s newly-published figures released this week show the highest on record, with over 100,000 children and young people in the care system, a shortage of 6,500 foster families needed for our children across the UK, and 1,000 extra foster families needed within London alone.

The reality is that all local authorities are experiencing fewer carers applying to foster, and higher numbers continue to leave the role each year.

Foster Care Fortnight, the UK’s biggest national awareness campaign, taking place now from May 13 to May 26, highlights the crisis facing foster care, the desperate need for more carers, and increased investment in retention and recruitment of foster carers.

Sadly we have too many children living in residential care or in homes that are not adequate for their needs due to the shortage of a foster family to care for them.

Children are being placed out of their locality, far from their homes, and are separated from parents, siblings, friends, familiar surroundings, and connections, disrupting their education, and negatively impacting their mental health.

Fostering is hugely rewarding. Seeing children and young people develop and achieve is a life-changing experience.

Foster carers provide a safe, secure and nurturing family environment. They play a vital role by looking after children in their own home and turn lives around with their love and support.

Every child should benefit from a loving and stable home with a local foster family when they need one.

Our foster carers in Islington are diverse and come from many different walks of life, and have had various experiences, lifestyles and adventures that bring a range of skills.

They provide something extraordinary, their skill and understanding makes a lifelong difference to the outcomes for children in our care and giving them the love they deserve.

Our carers say, “When the children receive the support and confidence they need, it helps them to believe they can really achieve, from a shy loner to a star in their school play…”

And, “Watching a child grow and develop has been a blessed experience for me.”

Foster carers are an important part of the team that works with children and young people to make plans for their future, while working closely with social workers and other professionals to give the child the very best opportunities in life.

To become a foster carer there is no upper age limit, no need for any formal qualifications, whether you have had your own children or not.

You can be in a relationship or single and be of any sexual orientation or gender identity.

Our foster carers receive round-the-clock support, and have a dedicated social worker and supervising team with 24-hour expert advice and support.

You may have more to offer than you think.

• For details about fostering in Camden go to camden.gov.uk/fostering

You can contact the fostering team for an informal chat on 020 7974 6783 or email fostering@camden.gov.uk – or go to www.fosteringnorthlondon.co.uk

Further details: www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk

Tag The Fostering Network in when talking about Foster Care Fortnight on social media and use the hashtags #FosteringMoments and #FCF24.

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