New Foster Wales network encouraging people to open their homes to foster children
23 life-size front doors were unveiled outside the Senedd earlier this week, as Foster Wales, the new network of 22 local authority fostering services across the country invited the public to consider opening their homes to help children in Wales who are desperately in need of care and support.
Foster Wales is working towards increasing the number of foster carers recruited to local authorities across Wales to help keep children in their local area, when it is right for them, which contributes to the national impact on the futures of young people.
At the close of March 2020, Welsh Government statistics revealed that 84 per cent of children living with foster families were still able to live in their own area, maintaining familiarity with the community they already knew.
Foster Wales aim is to encourage those who are thinking of fostering to do so in their local authority so that important relationships, which can help children thrive, can continue.
Deputy Minister for Social Services, Julie Morgan said, “Foster carers in Wales have told me countless times about how rewarding the experience of looking after a child can be. I encourage anyone who can open their home so that those children who need our help can live happier childhoods and grow up into the people they want to be.”
The unveiling of the life-sized front doors represents each of the 22 local authorities and their combined national goal of working together to help build better futures for local children.
Graham, a foster carer with Foster Wales Bridgend said: “I have been fostering with the local authority fostering service for 27 years. Fostering has been a huge part of my life and I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s been great to be involved in the launch event and meeting other foster carers from across Wales.”
Foster Wales is encouraging more people like Graham to open up their homes to help build better futures for local children in need.
The event follows the recent launch of a wider Foster Wales campaign which aims to make a substantial national impact on the futures of young people in Wales.
To find out more about fostering in Bridgend County Borough, visit:
bridgend.fosterwales.gov.wales / penybont.maethucymru.llyw.cymru