Fostering families from across North Yorkshire had a great day out with Santa on the Wensleydale Railway.
The Santa Special steam train journey gave Fostering North Yorkshire’s families an opportunity to socialise and share experiences, as well as having a family fun time out in the run-up to Christmas. Santa was very generous with his gifts too, and every child got a special present.
County Councillor Janet Sanderson, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Children’s Services, said: “In North Yorkshire we really value the hard work our foster carers do and we want to make sure they are supported, not only with training and advice, but also with opportunities to relax and spend positive time with their families.
“When someone decides to become a foster carer it impacts on the entire family. Fostering North Yorkshire recognises that the opportunity to spend quality time together is important and we put on events like this Santa trip to ensure that all children in foster families can enjoy themselves together. It’s a recognition of the fact that sometimes children whose parents foster can feel they have had to take second place to the other children who come to stay.
“Events like these help our carers and their families feel valued, which research by the Fostering Network has shown is a key factor in retaining foster carers long term. This has been a successful approach in North Yorkshire, as almost half of our foster carers have been active for five years or more, with our longest serving foster carers being in place since 1984.
“FNY is committed to ensuring that the young people it looks after can stay in their local communities. This means FNY foster carers can have confidence they will not be taking children from outside of the county”.
At any one time, FNY looks after up to 340 children across the county in need of foster care and there can be a number of reasons why they can’t stay with their birth families. However, the one thing they have in common is the need of a caring family to help keep them safe, secure and happy – offering everything from a short break to a permanent home.
Foster carers who look after children for FNY come from many backgrounds but they all have a desire to make a difference to the lives of those they foster, and to help them through this difficult time in their lives. They are highly respected by FNY in return and valued for their contribution.
They are given the best training available; knowledgeable support from a dedicated fostering social worker; access to professional experts in education, mental and physical health; and specialist services for autism and speech and language where necessary.
When carers start their fostering journey with Fostering North Yorkshire they are joining one of the country’s leading innovative local authorities with all the support that brings. Every child has potential – it just takes one person to provide them with the right opportunity.
Being a foster carer is an incredibly important job, helping to develop positive experiences and skills that have sometimes been missed out on earlier in life. Fostering also brings with it a generous tax-free allowance for each child and, while this is not the main motivation for most foster carers, it is a consideration as additional income streams can be very welcome.
If you would like to find out more, contact Fostering North Yorkshire on 01609 534654 or at fostering@northyorks.gov.uk.