With over 7,000 young people in care across Wales, the need for more Foster Carers is increasingly pressing.
In Wrexham, there are currently 222 children in foster care, each with unique needs and aspirations. Of these, 49 are cared for by local authority foster carers, 78 by connected carers, and 98 by independent fostering agencies.
To ensure that these children can remain close to their roots, communities, and friendship groups, we aim to recruit an additional eleven foster carers by April 2025.
In January the national network of 22 Welsh local authority fostering teams, Foster Wales, launched a campaign to recruit an additional 800 foster families by 2026.
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Foster Wales Wrexham joined the campaign, ‘Bring Something to the Table,’ to share realistic experiences from the fostering community to respond to common barriers to enquiries.
Some of these include a lack of confidence, misconceptions around criteria, and a belief that that fostering doesn’t fit with certain lifestyles.
The latest phase of the campaign focuses on the role of foster care social workers and the ‘support bubble’ that exists around foster carers, to provide potential carers with:
1) Information and understanding around the social workers’ role, and how the wider fostering community can support them.
2) Confidence and assurance that social workers are caring, pro-active experts who work hard to support both young people and foster carers.
3) Motivation to start the process to become a foster carer via a Local Authority.
In a recent public YouGov survey only 44% respondents said social work was well-respected and nearly two fifths (39%) of adults polled felt social work practitioners “often got things wrong.” While only 11% of social workers currently believe social work is well-respected.
“As a social worker in Wrexham, I see first-hand the profound impact that fostering has on children’s lives.
“We are dedicated to supporting our foster carers every step of the way, helping them build strong, nurturing environments for young people in need.
“Fostering can be challenging, but with the right support and guidance, it is incredibly rewarding.”
Ingrid, Senior Supervising Social Worker at Foster Wales Wrexham
The latest ‘Bring something to the table’ campaign is guided by a newly commissioned survey to better understand preconceptions and motivations of social workers. There were 309 respondents and key findings include:
- 78% social workers surveyed said they entered the profession to support and help families.
- 18% foster carers said negative perceptions of social workers were because of News coverage.
- 29% foster carers said before meeting a social worker they thought they would be ‘people with heavy caseloads and lots of paperwork.’
- 27% social workers surveyed believe potential carers fear being judged by professionals.
Ingrid is a senior supervising social worker for Foster Wales Wrexham and has spent 16 years in the role.
She reflected on what makes a great foster carer, and how Foster Wales Wrexham supports local foster carers…
“I feel that at the heart of every great foster carer is the drive and ability to stand in the child’s shoes, see the world through their eyes in consideration of that child’s lived experiences.
“Foster carers who have this skill are able to provide individualised care that supports the child to feel safe, genuinely valued for who they are and to go forward towards a healthy future.
“Foster Wales Wrexham supports local Foster Carers by understanding and appreciating the work they do that can make a lifelong impact on children’s futures.
“They recognises the challenges that accompany the role of foster carers and do their very best to provide them with a well-equipped tool box of support, development opportunities and inclusiveness.”
In the research, foster carers highlighted the importance of close and long-lasting working relationships to support young people to overcome challenges.
They were also keen to dispel myths about social workers and the support you receive, and paid tribute to the dedication of their social workers.
Below, we hear from Lisa, who fosters two siblings with her wife Kate, alongside their two children…
“We have been fostering for almost 3.5 years and in that time we have had amazing supervising social workers. We have had challenges and hard times, but they are only a phone call away, they support you and your family and always make time for you, whether it be advice, support, and answering questions or just to listen and be there.
“They are the glue in the fostering service – they give more than I can explain, and without them we would have been lost.
“They have all got to know all of my children – in fact we all look forward to seeing them. The time and effort supervising social workers put into making a strong relationship with you is priceless and actually they absolutely become your friends and people you can depend on.”
Councillor Robert Walsh, Lead Member for People – Children’s & Family Services, says: “I’m proud to highlight the incredible work of our foster care community and the invaluable support provided by our social workers in Wrexham.
“With over 7,000 young people in care across Wales, it’s crucial that we continue to encourage more individuals to consider fostering.
“The ‘Bring Something to the Table’ campaign showcases the expertise and dedication of our social workers, emphasizing the supportive environment they create for foster carers.
“Together, we can help build strong, nurturing homes for children in need, making a lasting difference in their lives.”
For more information about fostering, or to make an enquiry, visit the Foster Wales website.
