East Dunbartonshire Council is relaunching its Little Moments Change Lives campaign to urge potential foster carers to get in touch.
The relaunch, timed to coincide with Foster Care Fortnight 2022 from May 9, is to ensure that children and young people continue to be supported in their community when their birth families are unable to look after them.
East Dunbartonshire has a network of dedicated carers but several long-term carers are retiring and new carers are desperately needed. The campaign, which includes posters across the Council’s fleet vehicles and social media, reminds potential carers that it is the little family moments that can mean so much to children who have experienced instability.
The new Little Moments Change Lives campaign will feature on East Dunbartonshire Council fleet vehicles.
Amanda*, 20, is one of the young people in East Dunbartonshire whose lives have been turned around through fostering. She has been in foster care since she was 16, along with her own son James, who was only months old at the time.
Amanda had previously been in Kinship care – when a family member provides care when parents are unable to– but the family relationship had deteriorated and Amanda was living in a friend’s bedroom.
The day she nervously walked up the driveway of the home of foster carers Maureen and Bill*, cradling her baby son and accompanied by a social worker, was the start of a new beginning for her.
“I do sometimes think about how different things could have been had I not come here," she says. “There was a mother and baby unit which might have been an option, but then I wouldn’t have had the support that I’ve had from Maureen and Bill. I would not have been able to do half of what I have done without them."
For children and young people who come into care, everyday family moments are cherished and, over time, create the stability that helps them flourish.
“Not long after I arrived, Maureen gave me a hug before I left for school and I was like, ‘What are you doing? What is this for?’ That was the first time I had actually had a hug on the way to school… I knew very quickly that it was going to be a good place for us.
“It’s not just Maureen and Bill either, it is their whole family. I’ve not just gained foster parents, I’ve gained a whole foster family.”
Having a loving, supportive home has given Amanda the confidence to look after her own son James, who is now five years old, as well as pass her exams, gain vocational qualifications and secure a job in her chosen field.
Maureen and Bill have been fostering for 13 years and Amanda is the third young person they have fostered. Most children who are in need of fostering are individuals or siblings. To have a mother and child requiring foster care was unusual, but given their experience, the couple were a good fit and Amanda flourished under their care.
“Amanda has overcome so many challenges,” says Maureen. “She came to us with the clothes on her back. She was failing everything at school and we got her tutors. We had all of those challenges that you have with your own children, but we didn’t give up. She now has a job and has also passed her driving test. She got all that through sheer hard work and determination. I am so proud of her. She is just our daughter, she is ours.”
They urge others who are interested to find out more. “Anyone who wants to foster, don’t be afraid to fight for the kid that is in your care because nobody else has. These kids are depending on us for their future, they need us to be that person.”
Caroline Sinclair, Chief Social Work Officer at East Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership, said, “We have an amazing network of dedicated foster carers, but several have recently retired and we need to recruit more to ensure that children and young people in this area have a safe and secure environment and can maintain important family, school and social relationships.
“Foster care transforms lives. I see this every day; children and young people flourishing in our care and achieving in all areas of their lives. I also see the real satisfaction and pride that foster carers experience from helping these youngsters reach their full potential.”
For Amanda, fostering has been life changing, but every year, there is an ongoing demand for safe and secure placements for children and young people in East Dunbartonshire.
Children and young people need foster care when they are not able to remain at home with their birth families. Fostering includes providing care in emergencies, for a few weeks or months until children can return to their families, or for longer periods of time, including permanent care. Foster carers come from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences: single, living with a partner, in a same sex relationship or married.
Carers receive regular support from a supervising social worker and be involved in training and support groups. Foster carers receive a fee and allowance when caring for children.
To find out more, please:
- Call our fostering team on 0141 777 3003
- or email fostering@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
- or visit the fostering webpage
*Names have been changed.
Caroline Sinclair, Chief Social Work Officer at East Dunbartonshire HSCP,
relaunches the Little Moments Change Lives fostering campaign.