Full Steam Ahead For Foster Care Fortnight
Torbay Council’s Foster Care Service is inviting people to take a journey of a lifetime and help a child in need at the launch of its Foster Care Fortnight at Dartmouth Steam Railway’s Paignton station.
The launch on Monday 16 May is all part of the national annual awareness Foster Care Fortnight campaign. It aims to recruit more foster carers and provide information to people interested in this worthwhile and rewarding career.
Torbay currently has a number of fostering households looking after a wide variety of children. However, additional foster carers are needed to provide more children with safe and caring homes whilst they are unable to live with their own families.
Torbay Council’s People Commissioner and Director of Children’s Services, Dr Carol Tozer, said:
The children who are looked after by Torbay Council are very special. Life has invariably been extremely difficult for them to date. Caring, supportive foster carers can make all the difference between that child succeeding in future life, or not. Our foster carers tell us that fostering is immensely rewarding. Foster carers learn new skills and can take vocational qualifications whilst being fully supported by our foster team.
If you think that you can provide a caring, supportive and safe home to a child who can not, for a variety of reasons, live with their own family, please call the Torbay Fostering Team on 01803 207857 or come along to one of a series of events being held across the Bay during Foster Care Fortnight.
Torbay’s Council’s Chairman, Matthew Phillips, said:
It is so important that the right kind of support is provided to foster carers and their families so recruiting more carers means our fostering team can find the right homes for local children.
There are many myths and misconceptions about who can foster, but the reality is that many residents who don’t think they will be able to foster can. The key requirement is that foster carers can offer a local child a caring, supportive home. In Torbay we are always looking for people from a wide range of backgrounds to provide long or short term care. Now is the time to find out more and help a child who has invariably had a tough time and needs temporary care.
Dartmouth Steam Railway’s Operating Manager, Peter Roach, said:
We are a family attraction so I am delighted to support the launch of Torbay’s Foster Care Fortnight campaign which could make a difference to the lives of many young people and children. I hope people jump on board and find out how they can get involved.
Anyone who would like to find out more information about fostering can have an informal chat with a member of Torbay’s Foster Care Service at one of the following venues:
- Monday 16 May – Dartmouth Steam Railway, Paignton station from 1.30pm
- Wednesday 18 May – Paignton Library 10am – 3pm
- Thursday 19 May – Sainsburys, Paignton 10am – 6pm
- Friday 20 May – Sainsburys, The Willows, Torquay 10am – 6pm
- Saturday 21 May – Sainsburys, The Willows, Torquay 10am – 12, 2pm – 4pm
- Monday 23 May – Torquay Town Hall 8.30am – 12
- Wednesday 25 May – Paignton Library 10am – 4pm
- Thursday 26 May – Tesco, Fore Street, Brixham 10am – 2.30pm
Alternatively the Foster Care Team can be contacted on 01803 207857 or visit the website at www.torbay.gov.uk/fostercare
