Can’t Cook, Could foster

You don’t have to be a good cook to foster, revealed children and young people in foster care as part of a new survey conducted by The Fostering Network to mark the start of Foster Care Fortnight 2016 (16-29 May).

Instead the overwhelming call was for foster carers who can provide them with security, support and love.

261 care experienced children and young people were surveyed on a range of issues aimed at identifying what they consider to be the key qualities and skills needed to foster, and about the difference these qualities made to the lives of children living in foster care.

The top three qualities that these children and young people identified as key to making a good foster carer were:

• making them feel safe and secure (67 per cent)
• supporting and helping them (61 per cent)
• loving them (54 per cent).

While important for some, only 14 per cent thought that being a good cook was an important skill in a foster carer.

The Fostering Network is calling for 9,070 foster families to come forward right across the UK to give loving homes and supportive family environments to children (7,600 foster families in England, 800 in Scotland, 500 in Wales, and 170 in Northern Ireland). In particular there is an ongoing need for more foster families to provide homes for teenagers, disabled children, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and sibling groups.

The Highland Council is supporting Fostering Fortnight and Councillor Drew Millar, Chair of the Council’s Education, Children and Adult Services Committee hopes the national campaign encourages more foster carers in Highland to come forward.  He said: “Children of all ages and a variety of backgrounds find themselves placed with Foster Carers. There are many reasons why young people are unable to live with their own families and the reality is that they will in their young lives have had a lot to cope with. Foster Carers play a very important role in helping children during difficult, insecure and bewildering times.  With the right care, stability and hard work they can really make a difference to a young person’s life when it is most needed.”

If you believe you have the skills that children and young people want in their foster carer, today please contact the Council’s Fostering team on 01463 703431or email fostering@highland.gov.uk.