Fostering for Wolverhampton's latest recruitment campaign gets underway on Monday (24 September) with the team out and about offering advice and guidance to individuals and couples who are thinking of fostering.
Councillor Paul Sweet, 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. 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 next week 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 24 September - Queen Square, Wolverhampton, 9.30am to 3pm
- Monday 24 September - Molineux Stadium, 6.30pm to 8pm
- Tuesday 25 September - Waitrose, Penn Road, Wolverhampton, 10am to 3pm
- Wednesday 26 September - Fostering Shop, Mander Centre ground floor by Victoria Street entrance, 10am to 3pm
- Thursday 27 September - New Cross Hospital, 10am to 3pm
- Friday 28 September - Fostering Shop, Mander Centre ground floor by Victoria Street entrance, 10am to 3pm
The City of Wolverhampton 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, please attend one of the drop-in sessions listed above. Alternatively, please visit Type=links;Linkid=10232;Title=Fostering for Wolverhampton;Target=_blank; or call 01902 551133.
released: Thursday 20 September, 2018