Children of Foster Carers Month is The Fostering Network’s annual campaign to celebrate the vital contribution the children of foster carers make to foster care.
Each October, fostering services across the UK run events and activities to recognise and reward the children of foster carers for the important role they play in their home, making children in care feel happier, welcome, safer and more loved.
For more information email [email protected]
Benefits of Children of Foster Carers Month
The month allows fostering services to:
Show appreciation
Children of Foster Carers Month is the perfect opportunity to show the young people in your service how much you appreciate their contribution and dedication to fostering.
Taking time to listen to the children of foster carers and hear what they have to say about their experience of being part of a family that fosters is an important way of showing your appreciation and improving your service.
Help recruitment and retention
Many people say that the potential impact on their children is one of the major barriers to becoming a foster carer. The reality is that many children benefit from being part of the support network offered by a fostering family to a child in care. Seeing life from another’s perspective can be an enriching experience and can help a child learn and develop as an individual.
Involving older children of foster carers in recruitment information sessions during Children of Foster Carers Month (and the rest of the year) can help allay some of the fears of your potential future foster carers and may encourage more to apply. Supporting the children of foster carers through groups and activities helps them meet other children from families who foster and share their experiences in a fun and safe environment. This in turn can support your foster carers and boost your foster carer retention if they feel confident their whole family is supported and valued.
How to get involved
- Share stories on social media
Throughout the month we share incredible stories of children of foster carers on social media, and you can do the same for children of foster carers in your service. Make sure you tag us using the handle @fosteringnet on Twitter so we can celebrate with you.
- Send a thank you message or give a certificate
A great way to let the children of your foster carers know that they’re appreciated is to send them thank you letters or certificates. We have templates you can use. Most children and young people like to receive something in the post that is addressed to them. We will share the letter and certificate templates here as we approach October.
You can also ask your local mayor or another dignitary to write a letter to all the children of foster carers. In addition you could ask your head of service to record a short thank you message to the young people.
- Secure media coverage
Besides thanking the children of foster carers for everything they do, we also want to raise awareness of how crucial they are in a fostering household. A good way to do this is to approach local media outlets and get them to talk about the role of children of foster carers, and to interview one of the children. This provides a great opportunity to raise the profile of fostering in your area and recruit more foster carers.
- Set up a group
If you haven’t got one already, use the month as an opportunity to launch a group for the children of foster carers in your area. The group can give sons and daughters a chance to meet, share experiences and talk about how they feel about being part of a fostering family, while doing fun activities together.
If you do already have a group, then October is the ideal time to have a celebration event.