Stephen Morgan MP is urging local residents who have ever considered becoming a foster carer to find out more, as the Government launches a new national recruitment campaign.
The campaign, launched this week, aims to encourage more people from different walks of life to think about fostering, as part of the Government’s ambition to create 10,000 more local authority and third-sector fostering places by 2029.
New polling for the Department for Education found that 66% of respondents believed they could be good foster carers if practical barriers were removed. The campaign will help people who may have ruled themselves out to explore what fostering involves and what support may be available.
The launch follows the Government’s Fostering Action Plan, backed by £88 million over two years, which brings together recruitment, stronger regional fostering hubs, improved support for existing carers and a simpler approach to everyday decisions in family life.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“Foster carers provide something every child needs: safety, stability and the feeling of belonging. Here in Portsmouth, local foster carers make an extraordinary difference to children’s lives every day.
“But we need more people to consider whether they could offer their home to a child who needs one. You do not have to assume fostering is not for you because you do not fit a particular picture of what a foster carer looks like. The first step is simply to ask and find out.
“Recruitment is only part of the answer. We also need to back existing carers, cut unnecessary bureaucracy and make sure children can build loving, lasting relationships, ideally close to the places and people they know.”
Residents who would like to learn more can visit Foster Portsmouth’s website here.
