It was a night of celebration last Thursday as Slough Children’s Services Trust hosted its annual Kids Care 2 event at Slough and Eton School to celebrate the children of foster carers and to thank them for the valuable role they have within the foster family.
Children of foster carers play a significant part in making sure another child has a safe, loving home and an opportunity for a brighter future. They have the advantage of understanding the family set-up intimately while also understanding the pressures that young people face, so can use this awareness to help their new foster brother or sister settle in and develop a sense of belonging, something that is key to the stability of the placement.
On presenting certificates of appreciation to each of the children and young people, Slough’s MP, Tan Dhesi, remarked that children are often the unsung heroes of foster families:
‘While foster carers are rightly recognised by us all for being compassionate and caring, their children also need a very big heart to share everything including their family, toys, parents’ love and attention, and much more besides with that new child.’
People can often be put off from becoming a foster carer because of the perceived effect it could have on their children but, based on the evidence on display, the reality is very different. Nearly all the citations read out highlighted the positive impact of being part of a foster family, with children developing a caring, compassionate temperament that has made their parents incredibly proud.