A local fostering agency is celebrating the resilience and hard work of their foster parents during National Foster Care Fortnight.
The annual campaign which runs from 11-24 May takes the theme of #thisisfostering, aiming to convey a varied and authentic picture of the contributions of the people involved in fostering and how foster care transforms the lives of children and young people.
Foster parents play a vital role in looking after some of our community’s most vulnerable children and young people and Orange Grove Fostercare, who provide fostering services in Beverley, are paying tribute to their foster parents who have continued to provide invaluable support during these unprecedented times.
Craig Clark, Registered Manager for Orange Grove, commented:
“I would like to pay tribute to the tremendous work of our foster parents and staff who are playing a vital role in looking after some of our most vulnerable children and young people.
“COVID-19 has seen a cessation of hobbies and young people haven’t been able to socialise with their friends or do some of the things they love.
“These voids have had to be filled and foster parents have really stepped up during this time, therefore myself and Orange Grove would like to say a huge thank you.”
Orange Grove’s values are rooted in forging strong and positive relationships which encourage people to grow and develop, individually and together.
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought added challenges to foster parents and these values are more important than ever as the agency find new ways to stay in touch and support those parents.
Craig added: “Foster parents make a huge difference to the lives of the children and young people we support, so it’s important that we build on positive relationships, create a strong feeling of teamwork, and a real sense of personalised growth and development both for foster parents, and the children and young people they look after.”
Foster parents are still desperately needed during the COVID-19 crisis in the Beverley area and whilst the physical offices are temporarily closed following government guidance, Orange Grove has measures in place to receive requests from prospective foster parents, with all initial support being offered virtually.
Orange Grove Fostercare is an independent fostering agency who currently take care of 400 children across the South East, Midlands, North West and Yorkshire.
If you would like to find out more about fostering with Orange Grove, call 0800 3698513 or visit www.orangegrovefostercare.co.uk.
