Local Assembly Member, Russell George and local foster carers from Montgomeryshire were at a special event at the Senedd this week to join the urgent call for more people to come forward and provide loving homes for Wales’s children in care.
The event was part of Foster Care Fortnight (13-26 May), the national campaign run by the Fostering Network that is encouraging people across Wales to ‘Get in the Frame’ and consider becoming a foster carer.
At least 600 more foster families are needed across Wales this year alone to look after the rising number of children in care who need fostering. There are now 4,430 children who are fostered in Wales, a number which has gone up nine years in a row.
The shortfall in foster carers makes it harder for fostering services to find the right home for every child. As a result, children either move a long way from home, meaning they have to change school and often lose touch with friends and family, or they end up living with foster carers simply where there is space. These placements are more likely to break down, and the children end up moving around the system time and time again.
Mr George said:
"Foster carers do a fantastic job, providing some of Wales’s most vulnerable children with stability, security and love. However, with more children coming into care every year we urgently need more people to foster.
"That’s why I’ve put myself in the frame and am supporting this year’s Foster Care Fortnight. I would urge everyone in Montgomeryshire to think whether they’ve got what it takes to foster, and to take that next step and find out more today."
Freda Lewis, director of the Fostering Network Wales, said:
"With more and more children needing fostering every year, we are using this year’s Foster Care Fortnight to encourage people across Wales to put themselves in the frame to become a foster carer.
"People from all walks of life foster, from bus drivers to nurses, and builders to school teachers. What matters is that they’ve got the right skills and experience, and the love and support to offer a child in need.
"If you’re confident, patient, optimistic, a good listener and a team player you could have what it takes to foster. So don’t delay, find out more today."
There are currently approximately 3,350 foster families in Wales, and more are urgently needed. To find out more about fostering, people should visit www.couldyoufoster.org.uk