Fostering transforms the lives of children - and foster carers
Foster care transforms lives. Not just of the young people who are fostered, but also those of foster carers and their families.
During Foster Care Fortnight, from 14 to 27 May, we wish to raise awareness of the amazing job foster carers do and what a huge difference they make to Camden’s children and young people.
Fostering is looking after a child who cannot live with their parents. The child will be living in your home for a period of time, which can range from a few days, several months, several years or, in some cases, until they reach maturity.
There are many reasons why a child is fostered, ranging from an illness in the family, a breakdown in family relations and exposure to abuse or neglect.
Could you foster?
In Camden we need people who can offer stability, consistency and a warm and loving home to our children and young people. A foster carer can be single, married or in a relationship.
You don’t have to own your own home and there is no upper age limit, as long as you are fit and healthy enough to care for a child. A spare room is preferable - as children over the age of two will need their own space - but not a necessity, as we do take on a small number of baby carers each year.
A great deal of support and training comes from the council’s fostering team – including a dedicated supervising social worker. We pay our foster carers a weekly allowance for each child or young person placed with them, plus a generous weekly fee for the foster carer.
And, if you live in the borough of Camden, you are exempt from paying council tax. As a Camden foster carer, you will also have the opportunity to gain recognised qualifications in foster care.
Camden foster carer Feven, aged 36, (pictured, top right) became an approved carer for babies and children aged under two in March last year. Feven’s first short-term placement was twins but she has twin daughters of her own and experience of working as a nursery assistant so she took this in her stride. Feven said: “I love it. I wish I’d started doing it years ago. My aunties fostered so I grew up with fostering around me and it was them who recommended it to me.”
Looking after a child takes real energy and a warm heart. Camden foster carers go above and beyond to give children and young people a safe and secure home, making a big difference to their lives. We need to recruit more foster carers who can help bring a sense of family and belonging to vulnerable children and young people, so please contact our fostering team today or come to one of our monthly information evenings.
Find out more:
- Visit the website, camden.gov.uk/fostering
- Email [email protected]
- Call us on freephone 0800 028 1436.
Our fostering team will be hosting special information sessions across the borough during these two weeks, so keep an eye on Camden Council’s Facebook page and @camdentalking on Twitter for dates and locations.
You can also come along to one of our regular information evenings on the first Thursday of each month, from 5 to 6.30pm, at the Crowndale Centre, 218 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BD.