Building support and understanding during Foster Care Fortnight
Foster Care Fortnight is the UK’s biggest annual campaign to increase public understanding of foster care and encourage more people to consider becoming foster carers. This year the campaign runs from Monday, 12 to Sunday, 25 May.
Led by The Fostering Network, this year’s theme is ‘The Power of Relationships’. This highlights the importance of the connections that support children and young people in care. Whether it’s the bond between a foster carer and child or the professional support networks between care professionals, relationships are at the heart of every fostering story.
Foster Care Fortnight provides an opportunity for services, organisations, and individuals to come together to celebrate these relationships and promote positive perceptions of fostering. It’s also a key moment to recognise the contribution of foster carers and the wider network of professionals who work alongside them.
At Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY), we are committed to working collaboratively to support foster carers and the children in their care. The launch of our new Higher Education (HE) Transition Pack for Care-Experienced Learners, developed in partnership with Inspiring Choices, reflects our shared commitment to tackling the barriers care-experienced learners face when progressing into HE.
It also aims to help key influencers such as foster carers and support workers better understand the HE landscape and how to encourage young people to explore their options with confidence. With this resource, we hope to encourage a collaborative approach in the sector to build those meaningful relationships and give our young people the support network they deserve.
Foster Care Fortnight also plays an important role in highlighting the ongoing support and training available to foster carers. This includes peer networks, professional development opportunities, and financial support provided through local authorities or independent fostering agencies. At GHWY, our free Care To Go Higher CPD course supports this ambition by helping the influencers of care-experienced young people get to grips with the HE sector so that they might better support informed decision making.
Foster Care Fortnight is a valuable opportunity to build understanding among staff and learners about how stable and supportive relationships can impact future outcomes. All organisations working with care-experienced young people are encouraged to take part, whether by hosting events, sharing social media content, or simply having conversations about the value of fostering.
To explore our HE Transition Pack for Care Experienced Learners, Care To Go Higher CPD course or to learn more about how you can support care-experienced learners, visit Go Higher West Yorkshire’s website. For further details about Foster Care Fortnight, visit The Fostering Network’s campaign page.
Rob Scott, GHWY Training Delivery Officer
