Newsroom Archive

It is not just young children and babies that need foster families. There is a need for more foster carers to come forward with the skills and experience to open up their homes to older children and teenagers.  There is also a shortage of carers able to offer short term care to children with disabilities. 

Councillor Paul Watling, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Children’s & Adults Early Help & Support, said: “Alongside the need for more mainstream foster carers, we are actively seeking people to foster in more specialist areas. Family based shared care, where a carer offers short but regular care to a disabled child can be a lifeline for the whole family. 

“It gives disabled children the chance to try new things and gain some independence. It also gives their families a much-needed break from 24-hour care and the opportunity to spend time with other family members and friends.”

There is also an increasing need for more parent and child foster carers. These foster carers look after young mothers or fathers and their babies, helping them to bond with the child and develop their parenting skills, hopefully helping to keep the parent and child together in the longer term. 

Lin, a foster carer for many years, said: “Seeing the mother develop and gain confidence is incredibly rewarding. I would encourage anyone with the right skills and experience to do this type of fostering to come forward. 

“It’s a real sense of achievement, knowing that you have potentially helped keep a family unit together.”

The fostering recruitment team will be in Telford Shopping Centre on Wednesday 2 August to raise awareness of the need for more foster carers. The next information event is on Wednesday 23 August at the Ramada, Telford Ironbridge.

To find out more about fostering, people can go to www.telfordfostering.co.uk or ring 01952 387387 between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday.