Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Fostering and Adoption Team is celebrating Foster Care Fortnight between the 15 and 28 May.
Foster care is at the heart of our communities, enabling children and young people to stay in their local community, close to everything that is familiar to them. This Foster Care Fortnight the Fostering and Adoption Team want to celebrate all the fostering community does to ensure children and young people are cared for and supported to thrive.
The Fostering and Adoption Team are hosting a number of drop-in sessions throughout Foster Care Fortnight, where members of the public can speak to staff and carers to find out what support is provided by the team, what being a foster carer involves, and also what the benefits of being a carer are.
Across Scotland, there is a need for 500 additional families to support children and young people, and this need is mirrored locally. The Fostering and Adoption Team are working hard to provide support to our region’s children and young people to keep them in their own communities, and not be placed with a foster carer outside of Dumfries and Galloway. To do this, the team are currently recruiting carers across the region. There is a need for short-break carers, interim carers and long-term carers for children and young people of all ages, as well as for sibling groups and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Short-break carers support children and young people at weekends and holidays – either regularly or as one-offs. This is often part of a plan to help children remain with their families or with full-time foster carers. Interim carers support those in their care for up to two years. Long-term carers provide a permanent loving home for children for the rest of their childhood.
If you’d like to find out more, come to one of the drop-ins:
• Tuesday 23 May at DGOne, Dumfries. 4 to 6pm.
• Wednesday 24 May at Castle Douglas Community Centre. 4 to 6pm.
• Thursday 25 May at Hub 75, Stranraer 4 to 6pm.
More information about venues and dates will be posted on the Team’s Facebook page. Search – D&G Fostering and Adoption.
Councillor Pauline Drysdale, Chair of the Social Work Committee said: “The Fostering and Adoption team play a vital role in supporting children and young people in our region, and to those who care for them. There is a robust information, enrolment and training programme in place for those wishing to be a foster carer, and I’d encourage anyone interested to come to one of the drop-ins, speak to staff and others in the foster carer community to see if it’s for you.”
Vice Chair of the Social Work Committee, Councillor Chrissie Hill added: “Carers come from all kinds of backgrounds – ethnic, religious, cultural and language. It doesn’t matter if you are single, living with a partner, married or a same sex couple. If you are patient, kind, fun and enjoys a challenge, then caring could be for you.”
You can contact the Fostering and Adoption team on 01387 260 068 or email [email protected] where experienced staff will be pleased to answer your questions and provide support and advice about taking the next step.
You can read more information at: https://fostering.dumgal.gov.uk
