Angus Council is calling for people to #FosterWithYourCouncil to keep local children in Angus

This comes at a time when Angus Council has seen a decline in the number of people coming forward to be foster carers.

The council currently supports 53 fostering households providing care to children on a temporary, short break or continuing care basis but this is below the level of foster carers needed to keep Angus children with local carers.

This means there are children living with foster carer families outwith the Angus area. This is not the best option for children, as it means that they not only leave their immediate family, but they also lose connection with their wider families, their school, their friends and any social groups that they have established links with.

Angus Council’s Convenor of Children and Learning, Cllr Lynne Devine said: “With the continued need for care placements for children in Angus we are calling for families, couples and individuals to consider fostering. Whether you’re at the initial stage of just thinking about it or you’ve done your research and ready to get started, please come forward.

“Our priority continues to be to place children in Angus where possible but to do this, we urgently need more foster carers with the council. Last year we had to place an Angus child 100 miles away from home because we had no local carers available.

“This problem is not unique to Angus, as there is a national shortage of foster carers across the UK. And I understand that many families are struggling financially, but with the reimbursements, you don’t need to be worse off.

“I’d urge anyone thinking about fostering to get in touch with the fostering team at the council just to find out more about what’s involved and the different options available to foster carers. You may be surprised how well it could fit with your situation.”

Visit Angus Council’s website www.angus.gov.uk/fostering for information or give the team a call on 01241 464646 or email [email protected] for more information.