A new national recruitment campaign to help find more
foster carers has been launched by First Minister .
The Scottish Government campaign, which was announced at John
Lewis in Edinburgh to mark the start of Foster Care Fortnight,
aims to support the recruitment of more Local Authority
foster carers. The Fostering Network estimates that Scotland
needs at least 400 additional foster carers, and this campaign
seeks to raise awareness of the benefits of fostering and
encourage people across the country to consider if they could
support a child or young person in the care system.
John Lewis – a key campaign partner - are a foster friendly
employer providing extra support to employees who are foster
carers, something the Scottish Government has recently introduced
to its own staff. The company also run a Care Experienced
internship which supports hundreds of young people with care
experience to get work experience.
The campaign will be running in May and June, with a new website
and an advice line for anyone interested in finding out more.
As he met foster carers at the new campaign launch, the
First Minister said:
“Foster carers play a vital role supporting and providing safe
and loving foster homes to children and young people. They are
key to our ambition of delivering The Promise by 2030.
“Across Scotland, foster carers provide stability, care and
connection to support children and young people to thrive.
“Our campaign importantly focuses on how the everyday ‘ordinary'
can be extraordinary for a child in foster care. Fostering can be
transformational for a child or young person and by stepping
forward, foster carers offer not just a home, but the
relationships and support that help shape brighter futures.”
Anne Currie, Assistant Director for Scotland at The
Fostering Network, said:
“We welcome the launch of the Scottish Government's national
campaign to recruit foster carers, and we're proud to back this
initiative by providing additional support to our Fosterline
service to specifically manage enquiries.
“We hope this leads to more people stepping forward to become
foster carers in Scotland, and raises awareness of the vital role
fostering plays. The need has never been more urgent – as over
350 foster carers leave each year, it's critical that we take
action now."
Ceira Thom, Head of Learning, Inclusion and Belonging at
the John Lewis Partnership, said:
“At the John Lewis Partnership, we believe that every child
deserves a safe, loving home where they can grow and
flourish.
“As the UK's largest Fostering Friendly employer, we're proud to
support this vital campaign and to help raise awareness of the
life-changing role foster carers play in young people's lives.”
Background
Fostering is open to people of all ethnicities, religions, sexual
orientations, genders, and family structures. Foster carers do
not need any specific qualifications, and don't need to have
children of their own.
The ‘Ordinary can be extraordinary for a child in foster care'
campaign runs for four weeks across TV, video on demand, radio
and press, and for seven weeks across digital channels.
More information on becoming a foster carer can be found at
www.gov.scot/fostercare
