Hampshire County Council is highlighting its support for foster children from different backgrounds as part of its celebrations for Foster Care Fortnight (15-28 May), which this year focuses on fostering communities. The campaign is run annually by The Fostering Network and aims to raise the profile of fostering and how it transforms lives.
Councillor Edward Heron, the County Council’s Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “Our foster carers look after children from many different backgrounds and communities. Fostering Hampshire Children, the County Council’s fostering service, works hard to ensure that children are in the best possible placements to suit their individual needs, and that foster carers are trained and supported to meet these needs as effectively as possible. A range of factors are considered when matching children to suitable foster homes including, for example, their ethnicity, culture or religious faith. We believe that all children should be able to express and develop these hugely important aspects of their identity as they wish to.
“In Hampshire, as with Local Authorities nationally, we have seen an increase in the number of very vulnerable, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, who the County Council is duty bound to bring into care through the national transfer scheme. It is especially important to respect and support the identities of these children, to provide continuity and a sense of belonging as they learn to adapt to what is often a completely different way of life, and to help them grow up secure in who they are.”
Steve, a foster carer from Andover, has been fostering for 10 years and has experience of looking after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. He said: “Fostering an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. We’re still in contact with two unaccompanied asylum-seeking children after six years – they came to my daughter’s wedding, they will be coming to my granddaughter’s Christening – and they are part of my family.”
Commenting on some of the challenges of fostering unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, Steve said: “The food is different, the culture is different, the values and beliefs. You’ve got to be adaptable; you’ve got to do a little bit of research into the country the child or young person comes from.”
Hampshire residents will have the opportunity over the course of Foster Care Fortnight to read stories from different local foster carers on social media and on the Fostering Hampshire Children website. Residents are also invited to find out more about fostering at a series of in-person and virtual information events, on the following dates:
- Wednesday 17 May, 10am to 4pm – Rams Walk Shopping Centre, Petersfield
- Tuesday 23 May, 10am to 4pm – The Shed, Bordon
- Thursday 25 May, 7pm to 8pm – Virtual Information Session
- Wednesday 31 May, 10am to 4pm – Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Petersfield
Foster Care Fortnight comes as the County Council continues its search for 150 new fostering households by the end of 2023. Councillor Heron has urged anyone looking to make a difference, to consider opening their door to a vulnerable child. He added: “With new children regularly coming into care, both locally and nationally, we always need more people to take on the role of fostering and to ensure that our community of foster carers continues to reflect the diversity of the children we serve. If you are aged 21 and above, have a spare room and want to give something back, Fostering Hampshire Children wants to hear from you.”
For more information, to view other upcoming events and for contact details for the County Council’s fostering service, visit the Fostering Hampshire Children website.