Sponsored: Preston based fostering agency appeals for people to consider fostering teenagers

Local charity and independent fostering agency Caritas Care are reaching out to those with space in their homes and in their hearts to consider becoming foster carers for teenagers.

With the highest need for foster homes for children aged 13, we face the reality that many young people continue to need a safe and stable home environment. We urgently need people who would consider stepping forward and make a life-changing difference at a time when these young people are going through physical and emotional changes in their lives.

Rebecca Hughes, Caritas Care’s Fostering Team Manager said, “Teenagers in foster care can often find themselves at a crossroads, dealing with the challenges of adolescence without the guidance and support they need. What they need is stability, love, and the chance to reach their full potential as they mature into adulthood. By opening your doors to these young people, you could be providing them with an opportunity to grow, achieve and discover what they can be really capable of.”

Having the opportunity of a stable home environment can make all the difference in a teenager’s life. Foster Carers can provide the family structure and encouragement that they need to help them to flourish. By providing support, guidance and direction, foster carers can play a positive role with life challenges such as school, friendships, and giving the hope of a brighter future.

Whilst fostering teenagers can come with some challenges, the rewards are endless. Watching a young person grow in confidence, improve and achieve their goals at school and chosen activities, become part of a loving family can be unbelievably fulfilling.

Rebecca said, “Most teenagers need a foster home for the same reasons as younger children. They have not experienced the parenting they require and are in need of the stability, consistent care and support that foster carers can provide. At Caritas Care, over half of the children currently living in our fostering families are over 13 and they are all uniquely fabulous, with their own sets of talents and strengths. Funny, caring and resilient are often words foster carers use to describe the teenagers they care for.”

Caritas Care believes that every teenager deserves a chance to thrive in a loving, caring and supportive family. By opening your home and heart, you can provide them with the tools they need to overcome the challenges they may face and create a brighter future. Let us work together to create better life chances, choices and opportunities to teenagers right here in the North West.

The million dollar question… do you think you could open your heart and your home to caring for a teenager?

Could you be the one to offer a teenager the care, security and sense of belonging they need? Please do get in touch with the team at Caritas Care for an informal discussion; no question is a silly one and we look forward to hearing from you. For more information, please contact:

Caritas Care
08006526955
dutyfostering@caritascare.org.uk

About Caritas Care
Caritas Care is a dedicated and committed to providing support and care for vulnerable children, young people and families across Lancashire. We’re about providing hope and giving children and young people a better chance at life.

There is a shortage of over 1300 foster carers in the North West and the highest proportion of the children and young people waiting are teenagers.

This year, our Fostering Service is celebrating 25 years of dedicated service, staying true to our mission to recruit and support foster families across the North West.

In this time, we have approved 138 foster carers and provided a safe and loving home for almost 300 children and young people! We could not have achieved this without the dedication, strength and commitment of everyone involved in the fostering service from the staff to the foster families. Hence, why we need more people to come forward.

Caritas Care is a diverse charity based in Preston and has been around since 1934 supporting its local community and finding families for children and young people through adoption and fostering since 1988.

The charity is also celebrating 40 years of supporting people with learning disabilities and had 3 services for people of varying needs.

Our community centre at Plungington is a hub of activities and works closely with the local community to provide information, advice and guidance on the things that matter most to the local residents.

Our 16 bed homelessness unit in Blackpool provides shelter and support to people who need a home until they are in a place where they can live in their own home independently.