A new advert inspired by a classic board game is encouraging people to see themselves as potential foster carers during 2016.
The eye-catching design is based on 1980s’ guessing game ‘Guess Who?’ and is part of Leicestershire County Council’s ongoing drive to recruit more people who can offer loving and stable homes to vulnerable children.
The artwork will feature on posters at GP surgeries, libraries and other venues, and on the council’s ‘fostering in Leicestershire’ Facebook page.
There are 490 young people in the council’s care. Increasing the number of in-house carers will help the council to place more young people with families, develop its fostering service and reduce the amount spent with private fostering agencies.
National research tells us that living with families improves young people's happiness and reduces vulnerability, so we’re committed to placing more children with foster carers.
Even if you only have a few hours to spare, there is a way to fit fostering into your life. Simply put, foster carers transform lives and I’d urge people to contact us to find out more.
Person:Councillor Ivan Ould, cabinet member for children and families
A special drop-in session is being held between 6.30pm and 8pm on Wednesday, 27 January at County Hall in Glenfield. The informal event is a chance to get more information, and meet and chat with current foster carers and the council’s fostering team
For more information on fitting fostering into your life, visit our webpage, email fosteringandadoption@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 0505.
There are numerous ways to get involved in fostering, including:
- Short term - offering care while more permanent plans are made for the child.
- Permanent fostering - providing long term care for a child when they cannot return home
- Parent and baby child placements – a specialised role supporting a mum or dad to safely care and build a positive relationship with their baby child on a short term basis.
- One-to-one – providing specialist, round-the-clock care for requiring extra support
- Supported lodgings – offering young people aged between 16-21, who are moving on from foster care and community homes, the chance to live with a family as a lodger.
- Remand – a particularly skilled area of fostering requiring carers to not only meet the individual child or young person’s needs, but also work with the youth offending and court service on a time limited basis.
- Independent visitors – volunteers who provide young people in foster or residential care with support, a friendly ear and regular outings.
- Short breaks – providing support and care to families for children with disabilities