Call for heroes to open hearts and homes to children in need
Wiltshire Council says more foster families are needed
There's a push for more people in Wiltshire to open their hearts and homes to vulnerable young people as foster carers.
Wiltshire Council says there's rising demand and a shortage of foster families, with 350 already working with the authority.
Cllr Jon Hubbard, Cabinet Member for Children's Service's, said "not all heroes wear capes", describing families taking in children in need of a loving home as "phenomenal".
He said: "There's all sorts of people, from all sorts of forms of life, who decide that they're going to give this additional opportunity to a young person by not just opening up their homes, but opening up their hearts to those young people."
Young people can end up needing a foster family for dozens of reasons, some of which include family tragedies, parents struggling with addiction or they've suffered abuse.
Cllr Hubbard insisted children should not be punished for mistakes of parents.
"A life worth living again"
He said that every time a child goes into a foster home, rather than a children's home, where they can be part of a loving family, is a reason to celebrate.
"Those are the days when we're giving a child their childhood back, but we're giving a young person a life worth living again. And most importantly, we're giving them opportunity and love," he said.
He urged anyone considering offering safe refuge to a child as a foster carer to not worry too much about the criteria and to "just get in touch", adding that people thinking about fostering are generally the right people.
And while there are some requirements prospective fosterers will need to meet, the most important thing to have is a willingness to help.
Families are given financial support to cover costs of housing a young person, while the council also runs it's Mockingbird Family Model to ensure foster carers are fully supported.
People interested in becoming a foster carer can find out more here.