Bath & North East Somerset Council is urging residents to consider becoming foster carers or supported lodgings providers as part of their ongoing Transform a Child’s Life campaign.
The two-year campaign aims to ensure that more children and young people in the area are looked after until they reach the age of 25.
The council is responsible for finding more than 100 placements for children and young people every year, but this number has increased by approximately 40% in the last eight years, meaning that around 50 children and young people currently need new families or supported accommodation.
Foster care placements are available for children up to the age of 18, while supported lodging placements are for young adults between the ages of 16 and 25, helping them towards living independently.
The local authority supports placements for a variety of children and young adults, including those with complex needs requiring short breaks, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and siblings.
Linda, a family link carer and foster carer in B&NES for almost 40 years, has spoken about the positive impact that foster caring has had on her life.
She said: “The amount of support we provide varies from child to child – for some it might just be an after-school pick-up and tea once a week, for others it could be two or three nights a week.
“We have a social worker who knows us well and we’ll sit down with her to talk about who might be suitable for us.
“We’ve had Family Link children on overnight stays here and foster children at the same time, as well as our own three children. Our own children and now our grandchildren all get on well with the children that we have cared for.”
Toni Mayo, B&NES Council’s Family Placement Team Manager, said: “We are so grateful to everyone who has opened up their home to a child or young person in need in B&NES.
“We know it is a big decision to make, but we also know the impact it has on the young people and the rewards it brings to the carers.
“We have amazing carers working with us but, sadly, we always need more as the numbers of young people requiring support increase every year.
“We have a range of options available to people who are thinking about it, so I would encourage people to visit our website to find out more or contact our teams to talk it through.
“Please help us to transform the lives of these children and young people.”
The council offers a range of options to individuals who are interested in fostering, and encourages those who are interested to visit their website or contact their teams to discuss the process further.
The council supports placements for babies and young children, teenagers and young adults, children with complex needs requiring short breaks, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, same-day crisis placements, siblings, short-term and longer-term placements.
To learn more about the council’s fostering service or to get involved, visit https://fostering.bathnes.gov.uk/ or call 01225 394949.
