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The fostering and adoption service at Northumberland County Council is taking part in two campaigns covering both elements of its important work.
As part of National Adoption Week, which runs from November 9 to 13, the team is appealing to people to come forward to find out more about adopting a child or group of children. People are invited to register to attend an adoption information evening on 2 December or alternatively one-to-one meetings with staff.
This year, the appeal is focusing on the adoption of four to eight-year-old children, individually or as part of a family group.
Adoption team manager, Hilda Frost, explained: “We need people to come forward from all walks of life; you may have no children or you may have older children in your family – our children need lots of different types of families. The adoption application is a comprehensive process so the team is here to help every step of the way.”
At any one time the team is looking for homes for a number of groups of sisters and brothers and this can often be a difficult task.
Hilda Frost added: “Finding a family that has the physical space for more than one child can be difficult. Adoption and the creation of a new family can be daunting; the team appreciates this and in addition to the support and guidance that we can give, we can signpost people to facilities and extra services available to them.
For more information or to register for the adoption evening people should call Caroline Matthews on 01670 534450 or email familyplacement@northumberland.gov.uk
The fostering team has also been sending out cards to the children of foster carers to thank them for the difference they make to the lives of foster children. During the campaign, entitled ‘Sons and Daughters Week’, more than 50 cards were sent out between October 26 and 30.
For Northumberland, this campaign marked the start of the council’s new support programme for children who foster. An information leaflet is being sent out to recruit sons and daughters of foster carers to join a new support group that is being set up.
The aim of the group is to offer a forum of support to the young people and to also engage them in activities to improve the service. In order to make the group relevant and useful to the young people it is hoping to attract, the fostering team has been talking to some of the children who foster who have shared their experiences.
The programme is part of a national campaign, which is being backed by Suggs, the lead singer of Madness and the spokesperson for the UK Wide Fostering Network campaign. He said: “As my mother has been a foster carer for many years, I know what a difference fostering makes to children’s lives. While she is an inspiration to me and has helped so many children who’ve had a tough start in life, it is also important to recognise the role the rest of the family plays, particularly a foster carers’ own children. They take on responsibilities too and should get all the help and support they need. I hope ‘Sons and Daughters Week’ is a great success and encourages everyone to recognise and value the contribution they make.”
Northumberland County Council hopes that this public thank you to the children who foster will also get the message out to new families around the North East that foster care can be a massively rewarding experience for the family as a whole, as well as enriching the lives of local children who need local people to come forward as foster carers.
For more information about becoming a foster carer, contact the Northumberland County Council’s Foster Care team on 01670 534450 or email familyplacement@northumberland.gov.uk or visit www.northumberland.gov.uk/fostering
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