Welcome to Foster Care Fortnight 2023
Mervyn Erskine is chair of trustee's at The Fostering Network and a full-time foster carer. He kicks off Foster Care Fortnight™ with a special thanks to everyone in our #FosteringCommunities and shares his feelings about being part of the community himself
As Foster Care Fortnight™ commences, I want to begin by saying a huge thank you to you, our #FosteringCommunities for all that you do. As the chair of trustees at The Fostering Network and a foster carer myself, I’ve been reflecting on what fostering means to me. Together, we devote our lives trying to make the world a better place for the thousands of children in the UK who need a loving, caring and supportive home.
Rewinding back 20 years, we started providing monthly respite care for a family who was struggling, who then moved on to full-time care. Now to present day, we have fostered around 100 children, with up to five at a time.
When asked how I feel about fostering, it’s difficult to find the right words. What I do know is that the small successes bring the greatest thrills – every milestone in a child’s life, everything they progress and succeed at.
I’m proud that we are recognising the vital contribution foster carers make, both during Foster Care Fortnight and all year round. It doesn’t go unnoticed how day in, day out, foster carers nurture and encourage children and young people to grow in confidence. The real payback from fostering comes from these successes – helping the children to be the very best they can be.
At The Fostering Network, we know that foster carers need the very best support, ultimately to help those in their care. While we celebrate the brilliance of foster care, we never lose sight of what needs improving so that our children have stability and their needs met.
This year, people across the UK are celebrating all things foster care and I hope you can join us in some way. Whether you take part in a Foster Walk, tell someone a fact about fostering they didn’t know, share our resources on social media or thank someone who has supported you, it all counts.
Of course, we are using the fortnight to reiterate an important message – we need 7,200 more fostering families in the UK. It is so important that, when safe to do so, children are in suitable homes, in the areas they know and belong.
We need foster carers to ensure all children and young people in care are with people who can help them strive for a great future. If you are reading this and think you could be part of the fostering community, I urge you to take that first step and find out more.
And again, our foster carers who do already do this – thank you. It’s important we take this time to show our appreciation for everything you do for children and young people, it really does make the world of difference.
