Newsroom Archive

During Foster Care Fortnight (16-29 MAY), Telford & Wrekin’s fostering team is asking local people if they have the Time to Foster, Time to Care.

Every 20 minutes across the UK, a child comes into care in need of a foster family. This means that during Foster Care Fortnight over 1,000 children will require a foster family.

Chloe and Ryan previously fostered for a private agency but after 18 months of not having a placement, they made the decision to move to the Council. Within days of being approved by Telford & Wrekin, the couple had a placement.

The couple has their own birth child, as well as currently fostering two girls.

Chloe works part time and Ryan works from home and believe that this has helped to improve the aspirations of the children and young people placed with them.

Their family has embraced fostering and it complements their existing jobs and desires for the future. As a consequence, between them, they are able to share the caring responsibilities, such as, taking the children to school, supporting contact with parents and attending meetings related to the children they care for.

Their move from a private fostering agency to Telford & Wrekin Fostering services was motivated by their desire to be offered more placements and as a consequence to contribute to supporting more children.

Telford & Wrekin foster carers are often approached first as the Council has a principle of tying to keep children and young people locally based so that they may continue their education, maintain their friendships and receive support from local professional agencies.

The couple emphasise that it is important that the whole family are fully signed up to providing a family placement.

Chloe and Ryan have two spare bedrooms available for foster children and are approved to take a sibling group. They say that in their experience, taking on more than one child is no more difficult than taking on just one

“You don’t have to be a special person to be a foster carer”, says Ryan, “but you will become one when you do.”

Telford Fostering is always looking for foster families, from a variety of backgrounds, religions and cultures, in an effort to place children in a home that match their requirements.

There is a particular and ongoing need for more foster families to provide homes for sibling groups, disabled children, older young people and long term placements for some of our most vulnerable children.  As well as for children and  young people requiring emergency or short term placements.

There is no one type of person who makes a good foster carer but there are some qualities that help: experience of listening to children, the confidence to handle difficult situations and the flexibility to try out new things. Experience of looking after disabled children or children with challenging behavior is also a bonus.

A foster family will need separate bedroom accommodation and more than one bedroom if they are to look after more than one child, as children need to have their own space as they develop and become older.

Councillor Paul Watling, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “We’re always looking for new foster families to look after children and young people in care in the borough.

“We need to recruit more foster carers locally, particular families who can take sibling groups, teenagers and disabled young people.

“We want to be able to place children and young people with foster families that can meet their needs and without being split up from their brothers and sisters.

“Foster Care Fortnight is a great opportunity to raise awareness of our drive to recruit foster families. If you think you have what it takes, please get in touch with the team to find out more."

To find out more about fostering for Telford & Wrekin and to read more about Chloe and Ryan’s story and other real life fostering stories, visit the new and relaunched website: www.telfordfostering.co.uk