With a target to recruit 50 more foster families in 2014, Wiltshire Council is taking to the roads to help achieve this goal.
The fostering recruitment is using a fleet of its vans to advertise for more people to foster.
Currently Wiltshire has 434 children in its care, with 77 percent of those being looked after in foster care. The county has a large number of foster carers with 225 fostering families currently caring for 226 of Wiltshire’s looked after children, but more are needed.
Now the council has taken its own fostering recruitment campaign to the road with six of its vans asking people to come forward and foster. Families are particularly called for to care for teenagers, for two or more brothers and sisters so they can stay together, and for children with disabilities.
Laura Mayes, cabinet member for children services said, “There may be people out there who have thought about fostering but haven’t taken that next step. We want them to come forward, contact us and help us care for our local children.
“There is no such thing as a typical foster carer – we need all sorts of people from different backgrounds, including religious and cultural backgrounds, to come forward to care for young people. There are all sorts of children who need care on a short or longer term basis – from newborn babies to teenagers. We want to have enough foster carers so that we can find the right family for every child that needs one.”
Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer should phone 0800 169 6321 or email the fostering team at fostering @wiltshire.gov.uk. More information can be found at wilt shire.gov.uk/fostering.
