Potential foster carers in Blackpool are being sought as a fortnight of special events kicks off in Blackpool.



The UK wide Foster Care Fortnight runs until Sunday 29 May with the aim of helping place the 9,000 children who will need a foster family in 2016.

The theme ‘time to care, time to foster’ has been chosen to highlight the fact that a child comes into care every 20 minutes in the UK; and importantly to encourage those considering fostering to make 2016 their time to foster.

As part of the fortnight, Blackpool Council is hosting a series of events designed to raise awareness of the urgent need for foster families to come forward, but also to promote the benefits of fostering for the local authority.

To start proceedings, a week long recruitment event will take place in Cedar Square in the town centre between 11am -4pm until Friday, inviting the town’s residents to come along and find out more about becoming a foster carer.

As well as the town centre information event, Blackpool Council’s Fostering Service is also holding two special drop-in sessions on Tuesday 24 May.

Held at the Hilton Hotel on Queens Promenade, prospective foster families can speak directly to foster carers, ask any burning questions and learn all about their experiences over two sessions between 10am and 12pm and between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.

This Friday, a celebratory thank you event will also take place for Blackpool Council to acknowledge and show appreciation for the dedication of all the fantastic foster carers who help local children at a time they need it most.

And later in the evening in the most spectacular display of support, Blackpool’s iconic landmark, The Blackpool Tower, will light up in celebration of our foster carers.

As well as honouring existing foster carers, one of the most important parts of the work throughout Foster Care Fortnight is encouraging people interested in fostering to meet current foster carers to discuss their experiences.

It is a chance not only to find out not only about the fostering process but also hear first-hand how much our foster carers enjoy the community feel it brings with it.

To help those interested understand the benefits of being a foster carer, the council has teamed up with Cumbria County Council and Lancashire County Council and spoken to a number of our foster carers to bring ‘Ten Reasons to foster for your Local Authority’.

Over the fortnight a new reason will be released each day on the Council Facebook page (Mon-Fri) and our dedicated fostering website pages will be filled with new and exciting content including case studies and testimonials as part of a Foster Care Fortnight special.

Cllr Graham Cain, Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Secretary, said: “Fostering makes an enormous contribution to society and can help make places and communities better.

“Our foster carers do an amazing job and I’m really looking forward to meeting many of them for myself and learning more about their experiences.

“While foster carers tend to be incredible people, as long as you have room in your home and space in your heart then you can become a fostering hero too.

“Our friendly staff are always on hand to discuss fostering and how it works and will be more than happy to give people information if they are thinking of getting involved.”

Applications can be made by individuals, couples who are married, in a civil partnership or living together who are over 21.

Foster carers receive full training, ongoing 24 hour support and a financial allowance.

For more information please call our friendly recruitment team on 01253 477888, email us at fostering.adoption@blackpool.gov.uk or visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/FCF2016