Foster Care Fortnight 2017

Foster Care Fortnight(tm) is The Fostering Network's annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and to show how foster care transforms lives. It is also the UK’s biggest foster carer recruitment campaign.

Foster Care Fortnight 2017 will take place from Monday 8 to Sunday 21 May.
What is Foster Care Fortnight?

Foster Care Fortnight is the UK’s biggest foster care awareness raising campaign, delivered by leading fostering charity, The Fostering Network. Established for almost 20 years, the campaign showcases the commitment, passion and dedication of foster carers. It also supports fostering services to highlight the need for more foster carers. 9,070 new foster families are needed in the next 12 months alone to care for a range of children, with the greatest need being for foster carers for older children, sibling groups, disabled children and unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Foster Care Fortnight receives around 1,000 pieces of media coverage each year, and The Fostering Network is delighted to receive the backing of celebrities and politicians from across the UK who lends their support to our campaign.

Foster care transforms lives

The overarching theme of Foster Care Fortnight is 'foster care transforms lives'. The Fostering Network is passionate about the difference that foster care makes to the lives of fostered children and young people, and Foster Care Fortnight is an excellent opportunity to showcase that difference. But foster care doesn't just transform the lives of the young people who are fostered; it also has the power to change the lives of foster carers, their families and all those who are involved in fostering. Along with fostering services, The Fostering Network uses Foster Care Fortnight to share the stories of people who have had their lives transformed by foster care, and by doing so to raise the profile of fostering and the need for more foster carers.

One of the aims of Foster Care Fortnight is to raise the profile of fostering and the transformational power of foster care. The Fostering Network often find that existing foster carers are the best advert for fostering, so if you are a foster carer (or are part of a fostering family or fostering service) please help spread the word. Tell others your fostering story. Encourage them to find out more by visiting our website. If you're not a foster carer already, perhaps now is the time for you to consider becoming one.

Former officer helping children

Julianne Bayford has been a Kent County Council foster carer for fourteen months and has not looked back since. Julianne served in the Kent Police Force for over twenty years where she says the skills and experience she gained helped her become a successful foster carer today.

Her husband, Tim, still serves for the police and Julianne decided two years ago that the time was right for her to give up the police force and instead turn her attention to helping children.

“Around six years ago, I was working as Custody Sergeant and I saw so many young and vulnerable children in terrible situations and I always wanted to do more to help. I remember this one girl who was being placed into emergency fostering and the foster carer came in and was just so calm and had such an amazing manner. It made me think, I want to do this.”

“I loved working for the police but I just knew I wanted to do more to help these children so around two years ago I began looking into the idea and had a discussion with my family. My boys at the time were 9 and 11 and becoming a full-time foster carer also meant I would have more time at home.”

Julianne and Tim began the process which took around eight months and included home visits, training courses and plenty of support to help them prepare to become foster parents. They currently have two foster children with them at the moment who are aged 16 and 15.

“The process was extremely intensive, which it had to be as it is a huge responsibility and there is a lot to learn. Kent Fostering really supported us well throughout all of this and were extremely accommodating to us as I was still in the police so they worked around us with our shifts.”

“To be a successful foster parent, I think you need to have plenty of patience, flexibility and definitely a sense of humour! Being a police officer really helped me in this transition as there were so many skills I learned over my twenty years that were transferrable. I think what police officers who are looking into fostering should know is that there is plenty of flexibility in the police force. Some foster carers still work in the force, but on a part-time basis.”

“I honestly cannot explain how rewarding being a foster parent is. The little changes you can make which has a positive influence on these children makes it all so worthwhile. Every day I am smiling and I am happy with the decision that I made.”

Foster carers need a spare room in their home and the determination and understanding to make life better for vulnerable children in Kent. They can be single, in a long-term relationship, with or without children and do not need to own their own home. If you are interested in becoming a foster carer and would like to learn more, please visit the Kent Fostering website: http://www.kentfostering.co.uk/ or attend an information event near you.

For more information about Fostering Agencies in your area see below:

Kent Fostering- www.kentfostering.co.uk

Acorn Fostering- www.acornfostering.com

Next Step Fostering- www.nextstepfostering.org

Safehouses- www.safehouses.org

Ryancarefostering.com- www.ryancarefostering.com

Wandsworth Fostering- www.wandsworth.gov.uk/fostering