This year, Foster Care Fortnight runs from 9-22 May.
To celebrate, over 20 foster carers joined Slough Children First Independent Fostering Agency (SCF IFA); Councillor Christine Hulme (Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Lifelong Learning & Skills) and senior managers at a ‘Thank you Brunch’, to celebrate SCF’s foster carers.
The brunch was a chance to celebrate the carers and thank them for the support they offer our children in care including those with complex needs.
Carers who attended the event spoke about the positive impact of fostering to their own lives and how enriching it is to offer the care and love they do.
The IFA offer a great support package to all carers including training, 24/7 support, generous and competitive fees/allowance, buddy support for all carers and a well-resourced team of professionals including the virtual school, clinicians and a play therapist.
Cllr Hulme spoke about the valuable work the foster carers do and how we are reaching out for others to see if they would like to foster with us, to help meet the increasing demand of children coming into care, especially in Slough.
With this year’s Foster Care Fortnight theme being ‘Fostering Communities’, it was fitting that conversations shared at the event included how SCF’s social workers and other members of staff support each other and the carers/families in their care, in and out of office hours. Cllr Hulme further said:
“I am constantly amazed by some of the experiences [our foster carers go through] but never surprised by their commitment and dedication.
I am so grateful that we have such committed staff who go the extra mile to support our carers. We have a dedicated team of carers and staff which make me so proud.”
We would like to encourage more people in and around Slough to take an interest in being a Foster Carer for children that need a safe and loving home. If you are interested in fostering with us, please call Slough Children First on 01753 690777.
Alternatively, you can text FOSTER to 60066, email foster@sloughchildrenfirst.co.uk or visit www.fosterforslough.com and complete an online form and a member of the team will get back to you.