Starting a new year offers opportunities for meaningful change, and one way to make a difference is by becoming a foster carer in Bradford.

Being a foster carer is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, things a person can ever do. With nearly 1600 children in care in the Bradford district, giving a child or young person a loving home and helping them thrive under your care, is a priceless gift.

Foster for Bradford, Bradford Children and Families Trust’s fostering service, is recruiting both part-time and full-time foster carers to help and support vulnerable children across the city.

Foster carers provide safe, stable, nurturing and loving family homes to children and young people.

Applicants can be from a range of backgrounds – you don’t have to be married or have a partner, be a homeowner or have children of your own to apply to be a foster carer.

Ilkley Gazette:

Foster carers are provided with a wealth of local training and support based in the area they live and peer support from a close-knit fostering community. They also receive fees and allowances to help with the costs of having a child in their care and to reflect the skills and experience they bring to the role as well as payments to help with birthdays, holidays and festivals (Christmas/Eid/Diwali).

Foster carers need to be over 25, live in stable accommodation (owned or rented) with at least one spare bedroom and enjoy the company of children and young people.

Linzi Nicholson, Foster for Bradford registered manager, says: “We’re currently trying to recruit more foster carers to increase the number of children that can be cared for in the local community. If you can help, we are ready to talk to you now. By becoming a foster carer, you could make a real difference to a child’s life.

“Part-time foster care fits around the carer’s availability so it means that people can still provide short break foster care for emergencies, over weekends and school holidays and balance their other commitments such as work or other responsibilities.

“Full-time foster carers are always needed to support children who need a home for a few nights, to several years, or even until they are old enough to move out and live independently.”

Types of fostering

There are different types of fostering to suit most people’s skills, personal circumstances and availability, including:

  • short breaks for at least one weekend a month or school holidays

  • short breaks for children with a range of disabilities

  • emergency and short-term fostering, often with only a few hours’ notice providing temporary or short-term foster care on a full-time basis

  • parent and child fostering, which involves giving a young mum chance to take better care of her baby or young child

  • long-term or permanent fostering, looking after children and young people until they are old and mature enough to live independently.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about fostering or ready to start your journey to become a foster carer, Foster for Bradford asks you to book in for a no-obligation call back with the recruitment team by booking on at www.fosteringbradford.com/book