Foster with North East was launched last year with the aim of recruiting more foster carers across the North East by offering dedicated support and a specialised recruitment hub working alongside all 12 local authorities in the region. Since then more than 850 people have come forward to enquire about becoming a foster carers, many of whom are in the process of being approved as foster carers. A direct response to the call for more foster carers, Foster with North East has also been a trailblazer for the Department for Education's pathfinder project, leading to a further nine spin off schemes now operating in other parts of the country. The hub acts as the first port of call for prospective foster carers offering a warm welcome, directing enquiries to their local authority, and providing support throughout the application process. It seeks to recruit foster carers from a range of different backgrounds and circumstances in the region to improve the experience of foster carers and offer the best outcomes for children in care. While nationally the average length of time from application to approval for anyone applying to be a foster carer is 6 months, Foster with North East have managed to condense this to 4.8 months. And there are plans to do this even quicker. The percentage of initial enquiries to Foster with North East from prospective foster carers which ultimately convert into successful applications (regardless of subsequent outcome), is also much higher at 23.1 per cent than the national rate of 12 per cent.. Newly approved foster carers Vicky and Phil Metcalfe are some of the first to be approved as foster carers since the launch of Foster with North East. Speaking about their experiences at the one year on celebration, Vicky said: "Fostering is something I thought about doing for years. Eventually last year I spoke to my husband and said I wanted to do it. We applied, and now here we are celebrating our approval alongside other new carers from the region. "Fostering has always been in my mind. The whole application process with Foster with North East was really smooth, and our social worker was really lovely, she kept us informed and we felt very comfortable talking to her. "The training also included meeting young people who are care experienced and gave us really good insight. It helped us to better understand their side of things. A lot of what they said was also very positive and really showed how much difference you can make. "Our was son was on board with our plans to foster from the minute we told him. He's been absolutely brilliant and has welcomed our first child to our home too recently who is fantastic - we couldn't have asked for a more loving little boy, he's got the best smile, and he loves to learn, he's very creative and it's lovely to see him getting along so well with our son. "For anyone thinking about fostering, I'd say that if it's in the back of your mind go for it. I've only been doing it a short time, but I'm all in, this is me now." In its first year: - The collaboration between the 12 local authorities has brought together fostering teams, marketing experts and fostering families to support and drive recruitment of new carers.
- Information sessions, events and pop-up stalls fostering a strong network of support have been held across the region.
- Foster with North East has provided extensive training, equipping applicants with the tools they need to thrive as foster carers.
- As the heart of the work lies in the stories of the children and families, Foster with North East has captured the joys of fostering directly from foster carers through several heartwarming video case studies to showcase the real-life transformative power of fostering.
Daniel Kenny, Hub (Service) Lead for Foster with North East, said: "Foster with North East was created to tackle the decline in foster carers in the region and it's been fantastic to see the progress and collaborative work over the last 12 months. "This has included building and strengthening connections across the region to reach as many people as possible with our fostering message, and ensure we are offering the best service possible to those looking to become foster carers. "We've had great support from our local authorities and positive feedback from newly approved carers at our celebration event, with some sharing their experiences on camera to shed light on the impact of our hub. The day highlighted everyone's commitment to improving the lives of children in care, and it was wonderful to share such an important milestone with all those who have been part of our journey and be able to recognise the new foster carers as they embark on their fostering career. "We know there's still a long way to go, as we need even more people from all walks of life to provide the safe homes for children and young people in care whether that's for one night, a week, for a few months at a time or long-term. "But we're really excited about continuing our work to grow the number of foster carers in the North East fostering for their local authority and ensure every child has a safe and stable home. As more regional hubs are being launched across England, we're also looking forward to sharing our stories of hope throughout the country and supporting the other hubs." Anyone interested in fostering in the North East, can visit the Foster with North East website here to find out more and make an enquiry. Foster with North East is a collaborative partnership between 12 local authorities from across the North East of England. For the first time every, fostering services all across the region are joining forces to recruit much-needed prospective foster carers for vulnerable children and young people. Anyone considering fostering in the region will benefit from a united, single support hub. The hub provides additional support for prospective foster carers and is supported by the Department for Education. The 12 local authorities involved in Foster with North East are: - Darlington
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Northumberland
- North Tyneside
- Redcar and Cleveland
- South Tyneside
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Sunderland (Together for Children)
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