News, events and schools' information for families across Bath and West Wiltshire

Wiltshire foster carers are helping to launch a fortnight of publicity across the South West to encourage people to foster with their local council.

Liza has been fostering for Wiltshire Council for six years, making a real difference to children of all ages. Now she’s using her experience to encourage people thinking of fostering to consider the benefits of fostering for their local authority.

In the first post of a two-week campaign #FosterForYourCouncil, she explains how the local council fostering service always has the child’s best interest at heart and how the resources are spent on delivering a good service to the children and their foster carers.

She explains, “You are part of an organisation that cares about the children and you feel you are contributing to the local community.”

Her voice is one of many carers from eight different local authorities who are explaining how fostering with your local authority means children can stay in their communities.

On day three of the campaign another Wiltshire foster carer, also called Liza, will also explain how foster carers are unlikely to have gaps between children, and can choose the types of fostering they do and the age of the children they prefer to look after.

The second week smashes the myths around fostering, explaining you are never too old to foster. They also dismiss preconceptions about whether single people can foster, whether you can foster if you have a pet, and if you can foster if you have rented accommodation – the answer is yes to all of these.

Wiltshire Council is hoping to recruit 100 foster carers over three years to ensure Wiltshire children can find a loving home in the county.

To foster, people need to be aged 21 or over and have a spare bedroom. More details are available on the careers website.

For those who want to find out more there will also be an online information session with Wiltshire Council on 14 September from 7.30pm. People can attend by going to this link at that time and hear from the foster care team as well as have an insight from a foster carer on what it is like to foster.

Wiltshire Council approved a new pay structure for fostering earlier this year. Payments are on three levels, ranging from £350 to £650 a week, depending on the type of support the child needs.

People can find out more information by:

  • Calling fostering on 0800 1696321
  • Emailing email hidden; JavaScript is required
  • Visiting fosteringwiltshire.uk

You can watch both Liza’s videos here

https://youtu.be/A03UBQQG3MI    Day 1 Video

https://youtu.be/T9iak2kSCpE        Day 3 video