It’s a sobering fact that more than 50 per cent of children in care in Buckinghamshire have to be placed in homes outside this county.
That’s because there simply are not enough people in Buckinghamshire coming forward to volunteer as foster parents.
Some people may find this hard to believe given the fact we live in such an affluent area of the country, but this is something we all need to work together to change.
It is also terribly disappointing that we have, on average, 430 looked-after children at any one time here – and yet only have one foster carer per 1,000 households. Currently we have 125 fostering households
The County Council has embarked upon a lengthy awareness campaign to try to encourage more people to foster. It is working, but not quickly enough, and that’s why I am appealing to you.
Fostering is a career choice, where excellent support, brilliant training and an allowance will be provided. There are lots of different ways to foster – respite, emergency, short term and long term.
At the moment we need short term carers to look after teenagers, sibling groups and children with disabilities. We also need long term carers for children aged 8-12 years. Around 20% of children in care come from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, mainly African, Caribbean, Pakistani or dual heritage backgrounds. We know there are many wonderful caring residents who could be perfect foster carers, but they probably don’t realise just how rewarding it is, or perhaps just don’t know how to get started. Meanwhile, a lot of people wrongly think they can’t foster and therefore rule themselves out.
We encourage you to give us a call today and find out how you can make a big difference to a child’s life. If you are unable to foster, please help us spread the word by sharing this with friends and family.
Find out about fostering today
W www.buckscc.gov.uk/fostering
E firststep@buckscc.gov.uk
Facebook /FosterBucks