Foster Care Fortnight (11 – 24 May) serves as a reminder of the need for exceptional people to help change a child’s life forever, by becoming a foster carer in Leeds.
Leeds City Council are urgently seeking new foster carers would join one of the UK’s largest and most well-established fostering networks, and be offered tailored support from social workers and specialist staff to guide them through both the registration of interest and recruitment process.
Over the past three years Leeds has worked hard to recruit some fantastic carers from many backgrounds and ethnic origins, and now has over 750 foster families as part of the Leeds foster care ‘team’.
Due to high demand, the council is very keen to hear from people who could foster children over the age of 11-years-old, sibling groups and those with additional needs. Before coronavirus, the council had a shortage of foster carers for these particular groups. This shortage is now being felt more than ever as the city and families meet the current challenges of coronavirus. Generally, the number of children’s care proceeding across the UK has been rising as families struggle to cope with a range of issues. Unfortunately this means that the number of children and young people entering foster care is expected to increase.
Those interested in finding out more about fostering can register their interest online by visiting www.foster4leeds.co.uk or by contacting (0113) 378 3538 for advice and an information pack. Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer, can be assured that the process of registering an interest or submitting an application are not affected by the current challenges of coronavirus, and will continue to be processed quickly and receive a high level of support.
Councillor Fiona Venner, Leeds City Council’s executive member responsible for children and families said:
“Foster carers do an amazing job and make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children and young people in communities across our city.
“Fostering can be an incredibly rewarding experience and I would like to reassure anyone who is thinking of becoming a foster carer, that on each of your journeys, we will be here to offer you meaningful and specialist support.”
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds City Council
