Sutherland councillor highlights vital role played by foster families
Foster carers across the Highland Council area have been praised for the "incredible work" they do in protecting and supporting young people and for fulfilling a vital role during the coronavirus emergency.
Sutherland councillor Linda Munro, who chairs the local authority's corporate parenting board, was speaking at the start of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from May 11-24.
Every day 130 foster families across the Highland Council area give some 150 fostered children and young people a loving, secure and stable home, and this commitment is ongoing amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The UK’s leading fostering charity, the Fostering Network, is using this year’s Foster Care Fortnight to raise awareness of the dedication and work of foster carers at this time, while calling for more people to come forward to foster.
The charity’s campaign to raise the profile of foster carers and the role they play in society is the largest of its kind in the country.
Foster carers continue to provide day-to-day support, love and stability to children and young people who can’t live with their birth families. They support children and young people’s education, health and social wellbeing, and also help to maintain the children’s relationship with the people who are important to them but who are unable to see them in person for the time being.
Every year more foster carers are needed across the region to make sure fostered children can live with the right foster carer for them. Despite the coronavirus outbreak, this year is no different, so anyone who thinks they might have the skills and experience to become a foster carer is asked to contact their local fostering services and register their interest.
Councillor Munro said: “Foster carers across the Highland area are doing incredible work to protect and support our children and young people. During the current emergency, it can be easy to overlook the vital role that foster carers contribute to the community so Foster Care Fortnight allows us to focus on foster families and actively recognise their ongoing hard work and dedication."
Kevin Williams, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said: "Foster care transforms the lives of children and young people as well as those of the foster carers and their families. This has never been more important.
"Foster carers help children and young people flourish and fulfil their potential, as well as providing a vital service to our society. Because this happens mainly in the privacy of their own homes – especially at the moment – their contributions too often go unnoticed.
"Foster Care Fortnight is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the work of foster carers and their families as well as recognising how transformational foster care can be for the children and young people who need it."
