Could you care for a child?

Could you care for a child? This is an important question because there are children who, for a whole host of reasons, cannot be with their own birth family so need another family or carer to step in for a while or perhaps for the rest of their childhood.

Cornwall Council needs people to come forward for local children but now also wants to meet people thinking they could support unaccompanied refugee children. I asked the portfolio holder, Andrew Wallis about what Cornwall was doing to support refugee children and below is his reply:

“You raised the issue of the LA taking on unaccompanied refugee children. Whilst the position is we want to help, but having the right support is key before we accept any.

However, as part of our overall recruitment drive for fostering, we have asked if anyone would be willing to take on unaccompanied refugee children, either as someone new to fostering or an existing fosterer.

Anyone who does come forward will have to go through the process of suitability.

Our position has never been no, never, but we have to make sure all the systems are in place before we say yes to taking any unaccompanied children.”

If you want to find out about fostering locally Find out about fostering in Cornwall or http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/fostering-adopting-and-looked-after-children/fostering/

There is an the informal drop-in evening from 6pm-8pm on Wednesday 25 May, at New County Hall in Truro, or you can contact the Fostering Team direct on 01872 323 638 whether you want to find out about caring for local children or are touched by the plight of unaccompanied refugee children and want to discover if you can help.

I have fostered children and our oldest child was fostered by us before we went on to adopt her so, if you just want to talk informally to someone who has cared for other people’s children and gone through the approval process, drop along to one of my surgeries.