More foster care givers are needed across the UK, that’s a fact. Government data states that over the last 8 years, the numbers of approved fostering households rose by 2%, but the number of children in foster care rose by around 11%. So how do we address this growing need?
Raise Awareness
For many people, fostering is simply not on their radar. The media often highlight the occasions where social care goes wrong, but rarely publicise the fantastic work of successful fostering placements.
The Foster Care Co-operative (FCC) is a not-for-profit ethical fostering agency (operating since 1999), who consistently focus on ensuring the match between the foster carer and the young person is a good one, to ensure placements are successful. This success can be seen in their ‘placement stability’ – the length of time an average foster placement lasts. In the most recent UK statistics, placements ending had an average placement length of around 10 months. By contrast, FCC’s current average placement length is over 3 times this, at almost 3 years. Sadly, these amazing statistics rarely make headline news.
Dispel Myths
“I’m not the right type of person to be a foster carer” – we hear this time and time again, but there is no “right type” of person when it comes to fostering. The children and young people in our care come from various backgrounds, and so should our foster carers! The most common questions the FCC are asked when it comes to suitability to foster are around age, sexuality and family circumstances. Although you must be over the age of 21 to become an approved foster carer, there is no upper age limit, as long as you are physically healthy enough to care for a child. Similarly, in terms of sexuality and family status, there are no barriers! The LGBTQ+ community makes up an invaluable pool of potential applicants for foster carers and we actively encourage applications from the community. The FCC welcomes enquiries from people from all walks of life, including single applicants.
So what next?
If you would like to know more about fostering for a not-for-profit ethical agency, visit FCC’s website at www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk for more information. You can see what we offer, read some of our foster carer stories, and understand what it means to us as an agency to be not-for-profit. If you would like a no-obligation chat with one of our social workers to find out if fostering could be for you, then please do complete our Enquiry Form and we will put you in touch with someone in your area. Alternatively, you can give us a call on our Freephone number: 0800 0856 538.
FCC always have, and always will, put the children in our care at the forefront of everything we do.
