Promotional Feature
It's sometimes all too easy to take for granted a happy and settled childhood, if you have been lucky enough to have one. But for some children through no fault of their own, this has been denied them.
And without the support of over 200 dedicated foster carers across Cheshire East, many young children, teenagers and sibling groups would be without the support of a loving family home environment when they need it most.
There are many misconceptions about fostering which seem to stop people applying. For instance foster carers, do not need to be married, own their own home (although they do normally need to have a spare bedroom), or even have a job. Everyone has the right to be considered and what is most important is that you can provide the right environment for a child, keep them safe from harm and satisfy the legal checks and requirements.
Stephen Kelly, Recruitment Officer at Cheshire East Council said, "One of the biggest obstacles to recruiting more foster carers, and we need at least 25 more this year, is that there is not enough public understanding of what is involved and too often foster carers' skills are very much undervalued. There must be so many people out there with the ability to become a foster carer who simply do not realise they can do this and how much they can transform the lives of so many children and young people in our care.
"So if you have experience of working with or caring for children, perhaps as a residential social worker, teacher, mental health worker, or parent, you could have the skills necessary to nurture and encourage their natural talents and realise the potential of so many young lives.
"With a confident, warm personality, and passionate about caring, your sense of humour and natural instinct for doing the right thing at the right time, combined with your patience and communication skills, will enable you to diffuse any challenging situations if they arise.
"In return for becoming part of our dedicated, committed and professional team, as an approved Cheshire East Council Foster Carer you will receive a weekly fee plus an age related allowance and continual training and support whenever you need it."
Stephen added: "We have a wonderful group of people who do amazing work, get a great deal of satisfaction and find it extremely rewarding. But we always need more people to come forward especially to care long-term for older children, groups of brothers and sisters and children with disabilities. Although the journey from your application to approval can take many months, we will be with you every step of the way to ensure you make the right decision."
So if you think you have the potential skills to foster and would like more information on becoming a Cheshire East Council foster carer, please go to www.spacesforfaces.co.uk or call 0300 123 3223.
FACE the future together with Cheshire East Council.
