What is Foster Care Fortnight?
It’s an annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering. It highlights how fostering can improve lives, and encourage people to get in touch and find out more about fostering.
The intention is to help as many people as possible understand the need for foster carers. We want people to know the value that fostering can have for so many children, and the positive impact it can have to improve their futures.
This year Foster Care Fortnight is taking place 15-28 May.
Why is Foster Care Fortnight important?
There are so many children and young people that need a safe place to call home.
Foster Care Fortnight aids in raising awareness of the need for more foster carers/families. It showcases the passion, dedication, and commitment of the foster carers we already have, and the types of people we’d love to have a chat with.
The stories you hear in the news about fostering are often negative – but fostering isn’t negative! Foster Care Fortnight helps to shine a light on the incredible stories of real people making a real difference and the success stories of Wales’ foster families and children looked after.
What is the theme for Foster Care Fortnight?
To celebrate the strength and resilience of all involved, the theme for 2022 is #FosteringCommunities.
Being part of a community gives a sense of belonging, and a supportive network of likeminded people. The fostering community is no different. Foster Care Fortnight celebrates all those involved in the fostering journey, and how we work as one team to ensure the safety and care of our local children.
How can I get involved?
Read, share, gather information!
During the fortnight (and beyond) we encourage you to learn more about fostering in general, and how fostering with your local authority means putting local children first. It’s making the commitment to do what’s best for them, in an area that they’re already familiar with. Not only that but Foster Wales Bridgend is not-for-profit. This means that we care about what’s best for the children in our care and those that support them, before anything else.
There may be things that surprise you about who can foster, for example you don’t need to be married or even in a relationship to foster. You don’t need to own your own home. You can have pets and foster. We have a whole section of common questions, but feel free to contact us if you’re unsure.
If you want to get involved in an event, The Fostering Network have set up ‘Foster Walk’. This is a sponsored walk for anyone and everyone to join, to help raise awareness.
The aim is for everyone to do a 5km walk on Saturday 20th May, in recognition of the 70,000 children in UK foster care.
Look out for our social media posts across the Fortnight on Facebook @FosterWalesBridgend, Instagram @FosterWalesBridgend and Twitter @FosterBridgend. You can also use #FCF22 and #FosteringCommunities on social media to join in with the conversation.
Please like, share, comment. Let’s help spread the word about the wonderful children, foster carers, social workers and wider fostering community we have here in Bridgend.
Feel free to contact us us if you have any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with your local authority.
If you live in Wales, visit the Foster Wales website where you can find all the information and contact your local authority service.
