Foster4, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s regional foster carer recruitment service, celebrates Foster Care Fortnight

11 - 24 May is National Foster Care Fortnight, organised by leading charity, the Fostering Network. This year’s campaign, #ThisIsFostering, aims to increase awareness of the need for more foster carers across the UK, including here in Cheshire.

Throughout the next two weeks, Foster4, the Council’s regional foster carer recruitment service, will be using social media to highlight the real-life tasks foster carers undertake to support children and young people to have positive childhoods.

As part of the campaign, we spoke to Karen Broadhead, who has been fostering with Foster4 for three years:

“Life as a foster carer certainly isn’t boring, imagine what you go through as a parent but with double the complexity, double the rewards and double the fun – and with lots of support along the way. 

“From the moment I applied to Foster4, I was greeted with real warmth and the support you receive is amazing. It’s about finding a balance between loving a child, and welcoming and including them into your family. From the moment my partner and I welcomed our first child, we’ve not looked back. It’s the most rewarding and satisfying job you will ever do.

“We are currently fostering three teenagers all with very different needs. Every day is certainly an adventure and we get so much satisfaction from guiding them into young adulthood - they make us smile and so very proud. 

“It really is a job that will fit all types of people. I can’t recommend it enough, you will be welcomed by other foster carers who are always on hand to guide, advise or just listen. Its life changing for yourselves and also the children you are caring for.” 

Councillor Bob Cernik, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Families said: “This year’s Foster Care Fortnight campaign will help bring the role of a foster carer to life, giving people an insight into the day-to-day tasks carers undertake when fostering with us.

“We want to grow our fostering family even more this year and urge people who can provide loving and stable homes for our children in care to come forward and make an enquiry.”

Councillor Margaret Parker, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s member of Foster4 said: “Foster carers play such a valuable role in west Cheshire and we want to take this opportunity to encourage even more people to consider fostering with us.

“All our foster carers make a real difference to the lives of our children and young people and, as Karen said, it is a truly rewarding job. If you’ve been thinking about fostering, please get in contact with the Foster4 team who will be able to provide further information and support you through the application process.”
 

If you’re great with children and young people, have a spare bedroom and would like to know more about fostering, visit: foster4.co.uk/enquire

Pictured - Karen Broadhead with partner Chris Farrell