Foster carers needed in district

Foster carers needed in district

FOUR new foster carers are needed in Northern Ireland every week to keep up with rising demand, a charity has revealed.

The Fostering Network said there had been an 18 per cent rise in children placed in foster care and confirmed there are currently a total of 512 children in foster care across the South Eastern Trust area which includes Down District.

The highest numbers are in the five to 11 age range, with 92 girls and 74 boys currently in foster across the Trust area. Province-wide, the number of children in foster care is almost 2,000.

At the launch of Foster Care Fortnight, The Fostering Network has issued an urgent appeal for carers to come forward.

The organisation’s Margaret Kelly revealed around three-quarters of all children in care at the end of March are in foster or approved kinship care.

“This is the highest percentage of children in foster care ever in Northern Ireland and makes foster carers the single, biggest provider of state care for children here,” she explained.

“We urgently need local adults and families to provide loving and supportive homes for some of our most vulnerable children and young people.”

Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer is asked to contact The Fostering Network on (028) 9070 5056 or the Regional Adoption and Fostering Service on 0800 072 136.