Our Fostering Friendly employers scheme offers organisations of any size a chance to improve support for their employees and make a difference for children and young people in their local communities.
Becoming a Fostering Friendly employer is straightforward, there are no direct costs involved and it can have a big impact - for your company and for children who are fostered locally.
There are 55,000 foster families across the UK and nearly 40 per cent of foster carers combine fostering with other work. These foster carers are clear that having an employer who understands and respects their fostering commitments is hugely beneficial to them.
Every 20 minutes another child comes into care needing a foster family in the UK. Foster families provide the support, stability and care that every child needs, in a safe, loving environment. Sometimes children only stay with a foster family for a few days, while others will live with their foster family for their entire childhood and beyond. With rising numbers of children coming into care, recruiting more foster carers and supporting families who already foster is more important than ever.
Our Fostering Friendly scheme helps employers to support and recognise the roles of employees who foster. We can help you put in place a fostering friendly HR policy which will offer the flexibility that foster carers need and help encourage more people to consider fostering. We’ll also give you everything you need to take part in Foster Care FortnightTM, our high profile annual fostering awareness campaign and the UK’s biggest.
The Department for Education, the first government department to become a Fostering Friendly employer, has urged other employers to join the scheme. Many fostering services have followed suit and are now working with local employers to spread the word. Last year we presented Bristol City Council with the Fostering Friendly Employer of the Year Award, at our prestigious Fostering Excellence Awards in recognition of their success in getting local businesses on board.
Get in touch with our team at fosteringfriendly@fostering.net to find out how you can benefit from this scheme and help make a difference for children and young people in your communities.