‘Fostering was best decision we ever made’

Information available for new carers

TO mark this year’s Foster Care Fortnight, Hillingdon Council hope to encourage residents to find out more about becoming a foster carer.

The council will showcase the commitment, passion and dedication of the borough’s foster carers and encourage anyone considering fostering to come forward and explore their options, during the fortnight which runs until May 29.

In Hillingdon, there is a greater need for foster carers for older children, brothers and sisters, children with additional or complex needs and unaccompanied asylumseeking children.

Cllr David Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, said: “In Hillingdon our foster carers offer children stability, care and a loving home.

“If you’ve ever considered fostering, I would encourage you to come along to one of our information events for an informal chat and access to all the information you need.”

Across the UK, every 20 minutes, a child comes into care and is in need of a foster family.

Hillingdon foster carers, Alan and Lesley, shared their experience of fostering, which they say is the ‘best decision’ they ever made.

They said: “We talked about fostering for a few months then talked to our son about the idea and decided as a family it would be something we would like to try as we had a spare bedroom, so we went ahead and started the process with Hillingdon Council.

“Here we are – now eleven and a half years later – and we can honestly say it’s the best decision we ever made.

“If anyone is thinking about fostering, we would say go ahead and give it a try you have nothing to lose, only things to gain.”

If you’d like to find out more about fostering with Hillingdon Council visit intu Uxbridge Shopping Centre (lower level near Debenhams and new Look), High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1LA on Wednesday (May 25), Thursday (May 26) and Friday (May 27).

Drop in times for Wednesday and Friday are 9.30am to 7pm, and Thursday is 9.30am to 8pm.