Campaign encourages more people to foster in Wiltshire

Wiltshire foster carers are helping to launch a fortnight of publicity across the south west to encourage people to foster with the local authority.

Liza, a Mum from Salisbury, has been fostering for Wiltshire Council for 12 years, making a real difference to children of all ages. Now she's using her experience to encourage people thinking of fostering to consider the benefits of fostering for the local council.

CHILD'S BEST INTEREST AT HEART

In the first post of a two-week campaign #FosterForYourCouncil, Liza explains how the local council fostering service always has the child's best interest at heart and how the resources are spent on delivering a good service to the children and their foster carers. You can be part of an organisation that cares about the children:

"We wanted to ensure that young people stay within their local community enabling them to go to school and keep the same friendship groups. We were also aware that the local authority like to keep their young people with their own carers and in doing so that gave us choice, it meant we could chose the age we wanted, so when our son was younger we had younger foster children and now he's older we sometimes have older children and it meant that we could do short-term caring or respite caring so if we were perhaps wanting to have a bit of a break from foster care for a bit we could just do some respite over weekends, or we could then choose to do short-term or long-term caring."

"We find that working with the local authority - because they want to place their children with their own carers - we have very, very few breaks in placements, unless we obviously choose to do so, which means that we can help as many children as possible."

ROOM IN YOUR HEART TO FOSTER

"We really enjoyed fostering. Never would we say it's easy, but the rewards far outweigh all the trials and tribulations."

"We'd say that if you've got a spare room, and home and room in your heart, why not give this a go, and working with the local authority is the best way."

WATCH

BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT FOSTERING

• You are never too old to foster
• Single people can foster
• You can foster if you have a pet
• You can foster if you have rented accommodation

Wiltshire Council's new pay structure for fostering is on three levels, ranging from £350 to £650 a week

"When you foster for your local council you are part of a service that is not for profit and where every penny is spent on providing a good service to the children and their foster carers. Being part of this regional campaign gives us that louder voice to make people aware of this.

"We are so grateful to all our foster carers as they do something you can't measure - they make a real difference for the good in a young person's life. We recognise the incredible dedication they provide and we support and pay them well so they can choose fostering as a career and do this with us."

• Wiltshire Council is hoping to recruit 100 foster carers over three years to ensure Wiltshire children can find a loving home in the county.

• To foster, you need to be aged 21 or over, and have a spare bedroom. More details are available on the careers website www.fosteringwiltshire.uk

Or find out more information by:

Calling fostering on 0800 1696321

Emailing fostering@wiltshire.gov.uk

• Foster Care