Are You One of the 9,070? Are You the Perfect ‘Match’?
According to the charity, The Fostering Network, the UK needs over 9,000 new foster carers during 2016. Over 9,000 adults are needed to provide a secure, stable, reliable home for some of the country’s most vulnerable children and young people in need.
So why do we need so many new foster carers?
“We know that when people decide to become foster carers, they ‘match’ themselves to us, so, in turn, we make sure we ‘match’ the foster children and young people to them” explains Kelly Randall, our Assistant Director. “Proper matching is essential for the success of the foster carers and for the happiness and outcomes for the children and young people we place in their care. Too frequently, a proper ‘match’ can’t be made; there are simply too few foster carers available; there just isn’t the ‘diversity’ of foster homes out there.”
What happens to the children?
The Fostering Network is quite clear in the message it’s sending: “…all children who need a foster family have one. However, without more foster families coming forward during 2016, some children will find themselves living a long way from family, school and friends, being split up from brothers and sisters, or being placed with a foster carer who does not have the right skills and experience to meet their specific needs. There is, then, a significant risk that a child’s placement will breakdown, further disrupting an already traumatic childhood”.
“This is where the newspaper headlines ring in our ears. Children in care can face being uprooted from their lives because there is no alternative. Sometimes, there just isn’t a match and it’s the children who suffer, through no fault of their own. On the occasions when this happens, it’s comforting to know the child is safe, but the child, the foster carers and we know it’s just temporary. Traumatised children aren’t parcels to be passed around, they need the right home with the right people at the right time.”
You could help
“There’s no way of dressing this up; we need more foster carers, from all backgrounds, all cultures, all religions. We need all adults to consider how they could change the lives of some of the 32,000 children in care in the Nexus Fostering region. Your child care experience, your enthusiasm and a genuine interest in helping shape young lives will make a huge difference to those most in need. That spare bedroom in your home could be a sanctuary for a young person, somewhere safe that they can make their own and fill with their precious belongings and know it’s theirs. It may be the first time they’ve actually ‘owned’ anywhere in their lives and that’s an amazing gift to give them, so please, give us a call on 0800 389 0143 or fill in our online enquiry form.”
“Be one of the 9,070.”