People in Wolverhampton are being encouraged to give local children the best possible start in life - by opening their homes and becoming foster carers.

Foster Care Fortnight, the UK's biggest foster carer recruitment campaign, gets underway on Monday (14 May) and members of the City of Wolverhampton Council's Fostering for Wolverhampton Team will be out and about offering advice and guidance to individuals and couples who are thinking of fostering.

Councillor Val Gibson, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "We are fortunate in Wolverhampton to have so many dedicated foster carers who combine a desire to help children with a commitment to providing the best possible care, but we have more youngsters who are looking for a permanent foster home.

"Fostering can truly be a life changing experience, both for foster carers and the young person they care for, and we'd love to hear from people who have both a spare room and of course love in their heart to help local children by fostering."

Foster carers can be sole carers, married or in a relationship - and they won't be on their own as help and support is available 24 hours a day. They will receive 6 months' "buddy support" from experienced foster carers who are there to befriend and guide them through the system.

Supervising social workers provide intensive support for the first 6 weeks of a placement and then every month thereafter, while foster carers can get help through a peer support network.

Placements can be anything from a few days to a number of years, and carers receive a regular, tax exempt fee and allowance to cover the cost of bringing up the child.

The Fostering for Wolverhampton team will be at various locations in and around the city over the next 2 weeks (14 to 27 May) and are looking forward to meeting people who are interested in becoming foster carers and want to find out how to go about it, or just want a little more information about what being a foster carer entails.

The drop in sessions are as follows:

  • Monday 14 May - Queen Square on the fostering bus, 9.30am to 3pm
     
  • Tuesday 15 May - New Cross Hospital, near Greggs, 10am to 3pm
     
  • Tuesday 15 May - Molineux Stadium, 6.30pm to 8pm
     
  • Wednesday 16 May - Civic Centre, Ground Floor Atrium area, 10am to 3pm
     
  • Thursday 17 May - Job Centre, Chapel Court (behind M&S), 10am to 3pm
     
  • Friday 18 May - Nuffield Gym, Wolverhampton Business Park, off Stafford Road, 9.30am to 3.30pm
     
  • Monday 21 May - Waitrose, Penn Road, 9.30am to 3pm
     
  • Tuesday 22 May - ASDA Wolverhampton, 9.30am to 3.30pm
     
  • Wednesday 23 May - Civic Centre, Ground Floor Atrium area, 10am to 3pm
     
  • Thursday 24 May - New Cross Hospital, near Greggs, 10am to 3pm
     
  • Thursday 24 May - Molineux Stadium, 6.30pm to 8pm
     
  • Friday 25 May - Mander Centre, first floor near Boots and Debenhams, 9am to 3.30pm

Foster carers can be single, married or in a relationship and help and support is available 24 hours a day. Placements can be anything from a few days to a number of years, and they receive a regular, tax exempt allowance to cover the cost of bringing up the child.

The council's foster carers receive 6 months' support from experienced foster carers who will guide them through the system, while supervising social workers provide intensive support for the first 6 weeks of a placement and then every month thereafter.

For more details, people are invited to attend one of the drop-in sessions being held during Foster Care Fortnight. Alternatively, please visit Type=links;Linkid=10232;Title=Fostering events;Target=_blank; or call 01902 551133.

  • released: Thursday 10 May, 2018