Agency near Haverhill makes a plea for more foster families
An impassioned plea has been made for more people in the East of England to consider becoming foster parents.
Figures by the Fostering Network showed an additional 610 foster families were needed in the East of England in 2017.
According to statistics from the Department of Education 80 more children in Cambridgeshire came into care during 2017 then left and in Suffolk 35 more children came into care than left.
Now, Cheryl Jillions, Registered Manager, at Little Acorns Fostering based at Great Wratting, near Haverhill, has made an impassioned call for more people in the East of England to consider becoming foster parents.
She estimates the agency is having to turn away 30 different referrals a day.
Little Acorns Fostering is an agency, which recruits, trains and supports foster parents.
The agency works closely with local authorities and social services to ensure children are placed with the most appropriate family to meet their individual needs.
She said: “We have got 16 amazing foster families that we are very proud of and we are very proud of all the children that we all look after as well."
But, added Mrs Jillions: "We really do need more people to come forward to provide loving and supportive family environments to children and young people across the East of England.
“One of the issues we face is some people are put off fostering due to the horror stories they hear but for each negative there are hundreds of wonderful stories.
"There is a stigma attached to children in care as they can come from difficult backgrounds, however nine times out of 10 when a child is taken out of a difficult situation and looked after by a loving family the turnaround in their behaviour is tangible, sometimes remarkable.
“These children need a chance as they often come from physically, sexually and mentally abusive backgrounds and they need people to step forward and help them. Our foster carers often comment on how satisfying it is helping a child or young person achieve happiness and doing something positive with their lives.
Without more foster families coming forward some children may find themselves living a long way from their home towns, schools and friends and being split up from their brothers or sisters, which could have a detrimental effect on their behaviour.
"Foster families are very special people who serve an invaluable service on behalf of their communities.
"Put simply, foster parents give children the childhood they deserve and help guide them to become independent and positive when moving into adulthood.
“Foster parents are not left to cope alone.
"When registered with a fostering agency such as Little Acorns they are supported every step of the way by highly trained professionals, provided with a designated supervisor and have access to our 24 hour helpline,” added Mrs Jillions.
For more information on Little Acorns Fostering go to www.littleacornsfostering.co.uk. Alternatively you can telephone on 01440 732010 or email enquiries@littleacornsfostering.co.uk
Further information on fostering can be found at the Fostering Network at www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk