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Give a child a great start in life

Last updated: 24 September 2012 10:45

Drop-in to this fostering information event on Saturday 13 October, between 10am and 1pm at David Lloyd Port Solent, and find out about becoming a foster carer for Portsmouth City Council.

Current foster carers will be available to chat with you about their experiences, and staff from the recruitment team will be on hand to talk to you about the whole process.

You will also be able to find out about the support and training available for you if you are approved.

There are many types of foster care, ranging from respite and short term placements to long term/permanent placements, as well as supportive lodgings for young people leaving care. The ages of children needing care ranges from babies to teenagers.

Pauline Pearce, fostering team manager at the council, said:

“This drop-in event is a great opportunity for people in Portsmouth and the surrounding area to come along and find out more about fostering.

“If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer and would like to find out more, come along and have a chat with one of our current foster carers. They’ll be on hand all morning to talk to you about their personal experiences and answer any questions you may have.

“I hope that lots of people from across the region will come to our event on Saturday morning, Portsmouth fostering team look forward to meeting prospective carers.”

The council is committed to recruiting carers from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, to ensure all children can be placed with families who can meet their needs.

You could be a foster carer:

• if you have a spare room
• if you have the commitment to care for a child or young person
• if you are aged 24 or above (there is no upper age limit)
• regardless of your marital status or sexuality
• whether you own your home or rent
• if you work – however please note that we do ask foster carers to be available for children outside of school hours (respite care or supportive lodgings may be more appropriate if you work full time)
• whether you live in Portsmouth or the surrounding area

As a Portsmouth foster carer you could expect up to £475 per week per child (at level three) as well as mentoring, training and high quality supervision.

If you are unable to attend the drop-in event but would like to find out more about fostering, get in touch with the team on 023 9237 4879 to arrange a visit.

Alternatively, visit www.fosterportsmouth.co.uk or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fosterportsmouth