Local foster carers have attended a roundtable discussion organised by Keighley’s MP Robbie Moore aimed at raising the profile of local foster services and boosting the recruitment of foster carers across the area.
The roundtable, which took place at Central Hall in Keighley, marks “Foster Care Fortnight”, The Fostering Network’s annual campaign to shine a light on the many ways people in the fostering community can support disadvantaged children, with Foster Care Fortnight taking place from 15 to 28 May 2023.
Attended by Kim Bray, Service Manager at Foster for Bradford, as well as four local foster carers, the group shared their ideas about how more foster carers could be recruited, with Mr Moore paying tribute to the “everyday heroes” in foster services across Keighley, Ilkley, Silsden and the Worth Valley.
The Fostering Network also oversees a Fostering Friendly employers scheme, which encourages organisations to make a difference for foster carers and the children they care for in their local communities and improve support for their own employees at the same time through introducing fostering friendly HR policy and various support for foster carer employees.
Speaking after the roundtable, Robbie Moore Mp said:
"It was a real privilege to sit down with a great team of local foster carers and members of Foster for Bradford for a roundtable, where we discussed ways in which we can recruit more foster carers across our area and paid tribute to the positive impact fosterers have on the lives of our children.
I welcome the government’s “Stable Homes, Built on Love” plan which aims to reform children’s care services with £27million for a new recruitment and retention programme, as well as the government’s decision to raise the National Minimum Allowance for foster carers by 12.43% increase this year. However, there is always more to be done, which is why I wanted to hear directly from our brilliant fosterers and local foster care team.
As we celebrate Foster Care Fortnight, I want to take a moment to pay tribute to the incredible foster carers across Keighley, Ilkley, Silsden and the Worth Valley who selflessly open their hearts and homes to children in need of support. Foster carers are true everyday heroes, providing a nurturing and stable environment where children can thrive, grow, and heal from past experiences.”
