Urgent appeal for foster carers in Cumbria
An urgent appeal has been launched to find more foster carers in Cumbria.
To mark the start of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs until May 23, Cumbria County Council is asking people to consider fostering as an option.
The council currently supports 225 foster carers, but with 750 children in care across the county, it urgently needs more people.
While there is a need for foster carers for children of all ages, the council would particularly like to hear from those who could offer long term homes for slightly older children and brothers and sisters.
Corey Love
BBC News
Published
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image captionMs Forbes, who fostered children through the council for more than 20 years, has pledged to carry on offering parent and child fostering
A foster carer has been praised for taking in a mother as well as her baby to prevent them from being split up.
Terri Forbes, from Barrow-in Furness, has been hailed by Cumbria County Council for her pioneering work.
Claire Lloyd, the council s fostering service manager, said she hoped Ms Forbes would inspire others.
Ms Forbes, who has fostered children through the council for more than 20 years, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she would carry on offering parent and child fostering.
PRAISED: Terri Forbes A Barrow foster carer has been praised for taking on both a mother and her child to prevent them from being split up. Terri Forbes, a veteran foster carer from Barrow, has been hailed as an example to all by Cumbria County Council in her pioneering work to nurture the family. The recognition from the council came as the fostering department launched a new campaign yesterday to find foster carers who can welcome a vulnerable parent and their baby into their home at a time when they need extra support and might otherwise be separated from their baby.
A brand-new campaign is being launched this week by Cumbria County Council’s fostering service to help keep families together. A brand-new campaign is being launched this week by Cumbria County Council’s fostering service to help keep families together. The campaign hopes to find foster carers who can welcome a vulnerable parent and their baby into their home. The aim of the campaign is that foster carers will use skills they have acquired, as a parent or carer, to model positive parenting and give the family the best possible chances of staying together. Foster carer Tracy Fowler, from Allerdale, has been fostering for 10 years and offering parent and child placements for six years.