Foster Care Fortnight 2015

Posted on 3rd June 2015 by Zoe

With Foster Care Fortnight well under way, Lorimer Fostering are urging people to come forward as Foster Carers for local young people in the Manchester, Liverpool & Cheshire areas.

Foster Care Fortnight is run by leading charity Fostering Network with the aim to raise much needed awareness of the desperate need for more foster carers. Jackie Sanders, director of Fostering Network, said “As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care. We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people and use their skills to help support them to reach their full potential.

In particular we need people who have the skills, patience and passion to look after teenagers who may have had a really tough time and be facing some real challenges, and to offer them love, stability and security.”
Research, from the Fostering Network, shows that almost 1 in 3 children aged 5 to 10 are currently living with their third family in care, with 1 in 5 living with at least their fourth. These figures are very worrying and upsetting to think about; the disruptions and relationship breakdowns they will have experienced at such a young age is unthinkable.

Let’s break this cycle together and invest in our future generations!

Finding the right foster carers for these children and young people will have a profoundly positive effect on their future. The stability that comes with a good foster home can greatly increase their confidence which in turn helps with their education and how they form relationships with others. Think about those fond memories you have of your childhood…well for a lot of children in care, they won’t have any. YOU can be that difference. YOU can create those great family times with foster children so they too can look back fondly.

 

Fostering for Lorimer Fostering

Zoe O’Donohoe, Lorimer Fostering Marketing Manager states “Their are many myths out there about who can and cannot be a foster carer but at Lorimer we always say ‘there is no such thing as an ideal foster carer’! Our foster carers come from a wide range of backgrounds and are as diverse as the children and young people they care for. We wouldn’t want it any other way, as it’s important for us to carefully match children with foster carers to make sure we reduce those figures mentioned earlier and ensure that the children and young people remain with the same foster family until independence.

All we ask is that you have the commitment and the desire to help these children and young people make positive changes in their life, when no-one else gave them the chance”.

If you can commit to them then we will commit to you by offering:

• Competitive professional fees
• Two weeks paid holiday/respite a year
• A separate allowance for birthdays and Christmas for all young people in placement
• Regular visits and 24/7 support from experienced social workers
• Regular foster carers support group meetings
• Membership to ‘The Fostering Network’ which offers a host of benefits and free services
• Access to thousands of discounts through our Reward and Recognition Scheme

A Lorimer Foster Carer goes on to confirm “Joining the Lorimer Fostering team has given us such a wonderful lifelong experience, where we have totally loved every minute of the last 17 months. We are gifted with these children and to be a part of this agency. We would recommend our role to the right, genuine people who want to help children”.

 

So what do you need to do next?

If you think you can help break the cycle and make a commitment to a child or young person then you can either submit your details on the form above and we will call you back or alternatively contact us on (freephone) 0800 038 7799.