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Caerphilly Foster Carers show what they ‘bring to the table’

Posted on : 08 Oct 2024

Caerphilly Foster Carers show what they ‘bring to the table’
There are more than 7,000 children in the care system in Wales but only 3,800 foster families. Foster Wales aims to recruit 800 more foster carers to meet the needs of local children in care.
 
In preparation for the 2024 campaign, ‘bring something to the table’, Foster Wales has spoken to over one hundred people including foster carers, social workers, teachers, members of the public and care leavers. Talking to these groups highlighted three key areas stopping potential carers from enquiring:
 
  • A lack of confidence in their skills and ability to support a child in care.
  • The belief that fostering doesn’t fit with certain lifestyles.
  • Misconceptions around the criteria to become a carer.
 
Foster Wales Caerphilly continues the national campaign ‘bring something to the table’ and aims to raise awareness about the different ways to foster including how ‘challenging’ types of fostering can suit individuals and families.
 
We want to highlight the skills and attributes that help provide loving homes to children or groups considered more ‘challenging’ like parent and child, sibling groups, teenagers, children with a disability and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people (UASC).
 
Patience, good communication skills, curiosity, a sense of humour or the ability to adapt, among other characteristics, can make you a great foster carer. These attributes are small but significant in transforming the lives of children in your care.
 
Mike, who fosters young refugees in need of safety and guidance said, “I’m looking after two boys from Afghanistan, both 16 years old. They've settled in really well. They love playing sports. They’re a real pleasure to be around. We've shared our culture with them, and they've shared their culture with us. It's been a real positive experience for me, learning about them, teaching them about us and showing, that we've got so much in common that it's not really them and us, it's just us.”
 
The ‘bring something to the table’ campaign starts on Monday 7th October across digital and social media and with various events in local communities across Caerphilly County Borough and the Gwent region.
 
For more information about fostering, please visit: https://fosterwales.caerphilly.gov.uk/en/

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