---

Potential foster carers are being urged to come forward and find out how they could help change the life of a North Somerset child or young person when Fostering North Somerset hold two information evenings, starting later this month.

The free events are a chance for people to find out more about becoming a foster carer and will take place on:

• Friday 30 August from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Costa Coffee, Somerset Square, Nailsea
• Thursday 5 September from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Costa Coffee, Oxford Street, Weston-super-Mare

As well as the Fostering North Somerset team, current foster carers will also be at the sessions, sharing their own experiences, answering questions and giving an insight into what fostering is really like.

Approximately 230 children in North Somerset are in foster care at any one time but not all of these children and young people can be cared for locally, as Cllr Catherine Gibbons, North Somerset Council’s executive member with responsibility for children and young people’s services, explains:

“Unfortunately, the sad truth is we don’t have enough foster carers in North Somerset and we urgently need more people from our local communities to come forward.

“At the moment, due to the shortage of carers, we sometimes have to place children in private foster care placements outside of our area and away from their familiar sources of support such as their schools and friends – through absolutely no fault of their own.

“These information evenings are a chance to find out more about fostering in a totally supportive and informal setting. By coming along, you could help us increase the number of foster carers in North Somerset which ultimately means we’d be able to place more children and young people locally to their home communities.”

The Fostering North Somerset team hope that people who come along to the information evenings will go on to have a successful home visit and then take part in the next Skills to Foster course, which is due to start at the end of September.

If you’re unable to make the information evenings you can also visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/fostering, email fostering@n-somerset.gov.uk or call 01275 888 999 to find out more and speak to the fostering team.

   Leave a comment