Fostering doesn’t always get great press or, more accurately, the fostering agencies and decisions made by hard-working social workers can be under scrutiny.
Scrutinising how and why we do things isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it can propel a service to bigger and better things.
Within the field of fostering, looking after vulnerable children, there are still many flashpoints that excite discussion.
Foster Care Fortnight, an annual event organised by fostering charity The Fostering Network, aims to raise positive discussion and an insight into current fostering policies and processes.
Why we need Foster Care Fortnight
Started twenty years ago, this campaign aims to raise awareness about fostering, the positive impact that it has and to encourage more people to become foster carers.
And today, that need is as great as ever.
For a variety of reasons, there are more children being taken into care. And this means that there is not only a need for more foster carers, for a greater need for diversity too. This includes families, single people, carers from the LGBT community, and people of all faiths and cultures.
Foster Care Fortnight 2018 which runs from 14th to 27th May also dispels many of the myths that still hang around about who can and cannot foster.
This fortnight-long event aims to attract attention from anyone who is over the age of 21, has a spare room and the time and passion to commit to looking after a child in need of a home, a family, love and support.
How can you get involved?
You don’t have to be currently fostering or have fostered in order to be involved in Foster Care Fortnight 2018. Everyone’s support is welcome!
Support is key to any foster placement being a success. Which is why The Fostering Network is asking people to share their stories.
Using the hashtag #FCF18 when you tweet about fostering, you can also print off a placard about why you are #ProudToFoster or #ProudToSupportFostering, take a photo of you holding it and upload it to your social media accounts.
You can also make a short film and either upload it to your own social media account or share it to [email protected] to have it included in their montage.
Be part of the Foster Care Fortnight Thunderclap!
A thunderclap is a mass, coordinated campaign orchestrated across social media in which thousands of users tweet or post the same update. The Fostering Network is aiming to create a huge thunderclap that gets people talking about all aspects of fostering during the two-week event.
Registering to be part of the Thunderclap on May 14th is easy, simple and free. The more people that register, the more people will hear and see the positive message about fostering, and the amazing difference that foster carers make to the lives of children every day across the UK.
At their heart, Active Care Solutions strive to make every foster placement work, giving the child the best start in life.
