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In the News

Mockingbird Programme

Surrey County Council Launches Mockingbird Programme Surrey County Council (SCC) is the latest local authority to adopt the Mockingbird programme of support for foster families, to ensure that carers and children alike have the support they need to stop placements falling apart. Adapted by The Fostering Network, the Mockingbird programme sees a group of foster carers come together to offering planned and emergency sleepovers and short breaks, as well as advice, peer support and training. Esther and Liam Dowds from Redhill were the first carers in the county to create a hub. Esther told SurreyLive that she knew what it was like to not have a support network in place. “Sometimes it’s lonely being a foster carer. You can’t always... Read more →

Recruiting LGBT Foster Carers

Is Enough Being Done to Recruit LGBT Foster Carers in Wales? A Welsh charity has called out local authorities for not routinely recording the number of LGBT people they recruit as foster carers. The Association for Fostering and Adoption (AFA Cymru) said that although there has been an anecdotal rise in the number of LGBT foster carers in Wales, not all local authorities were keeping a record, making it difficult to accurately track progress. “We must ensure that each local authority can report on the demographics of their fostering workforce,” a spokesperson from AFA Cymru told BBC News. “From the data we have collected over the past three years we know that recruitment numbers are improving, however, not all local... Read more →

“Foster Care News – Helping Your Foster Parenting Journey”

There are more than 62,000 children living with foster families across the UK and more than 9,000 new foster carers are needed every year. Find out more

Foster Carers are responsible for working in partnership with their Agency and Local Authorities to provide a safe, secure and nurturing family environment, allowing children to stay in contact with their own families if appropriate.

Carers are required for children and young people aged between 0-18 from a variety of different backgrounds, including specialised placements such as sibling groups, children with special needs and also parent and child placements.

You will need to have:
• The time and energy to invest in a child or young person
• A bedroom for the foster child
• Couples will need to arrange their working hours so that one carer can be available full time
• Single carers will need to be at home full-time, or have flexible, part-time and term time only employment or be able to work bank shifts
• Hold a full UK driving licence.
Better allowances, holidays, respite care, better matched and more regular placements, training, supervision, support.

Fostering role models

Foster carers and their families are often the only positive role models a child has experienced on his or her journey to make friendships, achieve a good education, improve their mental health and behaviour and make a positive contribution to society.

Fostering information