BBC presenter and author join awards to honour dedicated foster carers
BBC presenter Rav Wilding, of Crimewatch and The One Show, and Chris Wild, who is an author and campaigner for young people in care, were among the special guests at the annual Camden Foster Carers Awards.
The awards honoured our long-serving foster carers and those who have made an outstanding contribution to foster care in Camden.
Awards were presented by Rav and Chris to Camden foster carers who have served the borough’s looked after children for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years.
It was also the night that the winner of Camden’s annual award in memory of Sally Joseph, the Council’s long-serving Head of Service for Children’s Care Provision who died in 2021, was announced.
The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Samata Khatoon, and Tim Aldridge, Executive Director of Children and Learning, presented this year's Sally Joseph Award to Camden foster carers Sheena and Alistair Tresidder. This award, which includes a £1,000 grant to further their work, recognises excellent practice within corporate parenting (how the Council looks after children in care).
Sheena and Alistair were honoured for the care they have offered a young girl who has autism and cerebral palsy.
Jonny Persoff, supervising social worker, said: “Sheena, Alistair and family have made her a part of their family, and it is always so incredible to see how contented she is, and how well she is developing due to the family’s hard work there is not enough ways to express how grateful Camden is for the Tresidder family.”
Well done to all the amazing foster carers who received well-deserved recognition at the Camden Foster Carers Awards, as well as to the winners of the Sally Joseph Award, whose award I was proud to present together with Tim Aldridge. It was a wonderful celebration event organised by the Camden fostering team.
These awards give the Council a chance to say thank you to our longest-serving foster carers, as well as highlighting the need for more to come forward to provide a secure and loving home for children. All of the foster carers honoured at this event deserve our praise and admiration for their hard work, enthusiasm and commitment and I was proud to be there to celebrate their fantastic contribution to children’s lives. I would encourage anyone who feels they could follow the example of those honoured in these awards, and offer a loving home to Camden children who desperately need a family, to get in touch with our wonderful fostering team.
This year’s awards took place on Friday 12 July at 30 Euston Square. It was compered by Camden’s Executive Director for Children and Learning, Tim Aldridge.
This year’s long-service Foster Carers Award winners were:
5 years – Susan Powell, Jordan Green, Rosalind Thomas, Julie and Mussie Kahsay
10 years – Sarah Livingstone
15 years – Wendy Felstead and Arnold Frank
20 years – Lydia Obeng
25 years - Estefanos Geberhannes and Zayed Tsegaye, Jenny Cole, Muriel Yarnie.
And a special recognition for Carole Petch who has been fostering since 1987!
Other guests at the awards event included the Council's Director of Children's Prevention, Family Help and Safeguarding, Rashida Baig MBE, and the Council's Head of Corporate Parenting, Brenda Amisi-Hutchinson.
To find out more about fostering, please call 020 7974 1283 or 0800 028 1436 (freephone), email fostering@camden.gov.uk or visit camden.gov.uk/fostering.
Photo credit: Foster Carers Awards photography by Raj Munisami.