Council plea for more foster carers to step up

GATESHEAD Council is urging more families to become foster carers with hundreds of children and young people in need of support.

A new scheme, dubbed the ‘Foster Care Fortnight campaign’, is set to take place between 9-22 May. The initiative aims to help alleviate pressure on the council’s social care resources and provide children with safe home environments. A care strategy report shown to Gateshead Council on April 26 disclosed there were 465 children and young people in need of care outside of their family homes in January. This was an increase of over 10% from the same period in 2020.

Andrea Houlahan, Gateshead council’s deputy strategic director for children, social care, and early help services said: “We know that the impact of the last two years has had a significant impact on families across the borough.

“We know we need to encourage more families to foster because we have had an increase generally of children in care by the council. I think it takes a special person to open up their home”. Although Ms Houlahan did understand “families are concerned with the cost of living and how they will manage”.

In response to why foster care uptake is relatively low, Ms Houlahan said: “There are myths and legends about who can become a foster carer. We are wanting to encourage people from all walks of life to become foster carers. If you are able to offer a home, love, and care you can be considered to become a foster carer.”

Ms Houlahan said: “Our longterm goal is to try and keep children in their family home. It would be a very difficult decision and we will only do that as a last option. We would like to reduce the number of children who need care. Those children who require care should be placed with external family members and if not they will be supported by Gateshead.”