Wales needs 800 new foster families by 2026, say local councils
ITV Wales Journalist Joanne Gallacher went to meet a foster couple in Wrexham
Wales needs 800 new foster families by 2026, according to the national network of local authority foster teams.
Foster Wales, the national network of 22 Welsh local authority fostering teams, said there are more than 7,000 children in the care system in Wales, but only 3,800 foster families.
Foster Wales says some people who could be foster parents may be reluctant because of "a lack of confidence in their abilities", they might think "it wouldn't fit with their lifestyle", or there are "misconceptions" about the criteria to becoming a carer.
Cath and Neil from Wrexham have fostered 28 children. They decided to start fostering when their youngest child was 15, after deciding they "weren't ready to stop being parents to little children."
"I taught in a primary school for a long time and I could see children who'd been fostered and what a difference that had made to them," Cath said.
Some of the children Cath and Neil fostered had particular needs around food insecurity.
Cath told ITV Wales: “I remember there were quite a few little ones that came into our home, on an emergency, and they were quite worried about food, and would they get another meal, and where would that meal come from?
"These little girls in particular loved breakfast, so we had three different boxes of cereal, we had three bowls, three spoons.
"We made sure we laid the table for when they came back from school, so they knew that there was going to be a meal for them."
Other children hadn't had experiences that a lot of people would take for granted.
Neil said: "We went to Rhyl with one young man on a Sunday afternoon, which isn't a big thing for us, it's only down the road, but he'd never seen the sea before.
"His wonderment at just standing at the beach and looking at the beach was fantastic. That was something that really struck home for us."
Fostering is the "most fulfilling job" Neil's ever had. He said: "I love it, I've done other jobs, and it's the best job I've ever decided to do."
But Foster Wales is keen to stress that you don't have to give up work to become a foster parent.
Nearly 40% of foster carers combine fostering with other work, and a record number of employers have fostering-friendly policies in place to support employees.
“I’ve opened my home to children with only hours’ notice – all while working full-time,” said Cath.
Whilst Cath and Neil have mainly fostered younger children, more than half of the children in care are aged 11 or older, and Foster Wales is keen for people to consider fostering a teenager.
Alastair Cope, head of Foster Wales, says there's lots of support available to help people navigate fostering.
"We'll work with you to develop your skills and abilities, the main thing you need is space in your home," he said.
“You can help children stay in their own local community, close to friends, their school and everything they hold close."
They also stress that married straight couples are not the only people who can foster - being single or in a same-sex relationship is not a barrier.
He said: “We've got such a wide variety of children and young people that need care and support, and in order to fulfil that we need a wide variety of foster carers as well."
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