Fostering Communities – Foster Care Fortnight 2022

Posted on 6th May 2022 by Beth Owen

Foster Care Fortnight is The Fostering Network‘s annual campaign to help raise the profile of fostering in the UK. This year, it will take place from Monday 9th to Sunday 22nd May. The overarching message of every FCF campaign is that ‘foster care transforms lives’.

This year, the theme for the fortnight is ‘Fostering Communities’. This provides an excellent opportunity to shine a light on the many ways people across the fostering community support each other; working together to create the very best outcomes for children and young people in care. Foster Care Fortnight invites the outside world to take an authentic look into foster care and the lives of foster families.

We want wider society to understand and value fostering and the positive difference it can make to young people’s lives. We hope this increased awareness will build support for fostering, challenge stigma surrounding children in foster care and encourage more people to consider fostering.

What to Expect

We know how amazing the fostering community is and we want to showcase this throughout the Fostering Communities two-week campaign. We’re asking all young people, birth children, Foster Carers, their family members and wider support network to get involved & tell us what it’s like to be a part of the fostering community. This is a really great opportunity for everyone to have their voices heard and share an inside view into the world of fostering; showing how we all work together to make a difference to the lives of children and young people!

Send us images, make a short video or just write a few sentences that we can use if you prefer. Anything that you can send us will be greatly appreciated and will really help us with our campaign for this year. 

You can your content for Foster Care Fortnight to bowen@lorimerfostering.com, or send them to your Supervising Social Worker to pass on. We look forward to hearing all about your experiences!

Other Ways to get Involved

The Fostering Network has shared some information about different ways you can show your support throughout the ‘Fostering Communities‘ fortnight.

Here are five great ways you can support the campaign.

1. Share a photo – we want to see #FCF22 and #FosteringCommunities everywhere! There is a full colour and printer friendly version of the placard you can download; but we would love you to be creative! You could write one of the hashtag on your hand, stencil it onto a cake or sculpt it in plasticine. We love seeing your pictures shared online, so be inventive and think about how to make it relevant to the theme!
2. Use a Twibbon – you can do this online. The FCF Twibbon will transform your social media profile picture into something that raises awareness of fostering to your friends and followers while not detracting from your chosen image.
3. Donate – We are ambitious for fostered children and young people. We believe in their potential and want them to have every opportunity to flourish. Every donation you give helps The Fostering Network create change, lead practice development, promote fostering and offer advice and support.
4. Share a video – Whether you’re a Foster Carer, a young person, a fostering service staff member or simply a supporter of fostering; why not film a short clip of yourself sharing what your fostering community means to you. Remember to tag in Lorimer and The Fostering Network so we can see your messages. Be sure to include the hashtags #FosteringCommunities and #FCF22 so others can see it too.
5. Get the message out – At the heart of this campaign is the need to raise awareness of fostering. We would love you to engage your friends, relatives and others by sharing your fostering experiences. After all, who better to talk to than you, the experts, who live and work fostering every day!

Get in Touch

If you live in the North West and are thinking about becoming a Foster Carer, please get in touch. Lorimer Fostering can provide lots of information about fostering and becoming a Foster Carer. You can call, text or WhatsApp Rachael on 07938 575 738; or send an email to foster@lorimerfostering.com. If you would prefer us to call you, please submit your details using the form below; and we’ll get back to you soon!