GRAND OPENING OF FOSTER CARE AGENCY IN STOCKPORT
Stockport Mayor Cllr David Wilson and Deputy Mayor Councillor
Linda Holt were delighted to be invited to officially open the offices for a
leading North West based foster care agency.
The Fostering Team is an independent fostering organisation with
its head office in Stockport, who recently moved into a newly refurbished
office. Located on Buxton Road, the self-contained three storey character
building is a former Catholic Chapel with traditional construction that
includes full height stone elevations. The high-spec fit out now provides open
plan offices for The Fostering Team staff colleagues in their pursuit of
attracting more people to come forward to apply to become a foster carer.
There is a national shortage of foster carers. In England
57,380 children were living with foster families on 31 March 2021. This represents
a 71 per cent of the 80,850 children in care looked after away from home. Every
year thousands of new foster families are needed with around 30,000 more
children come into care over the course of the last 12 months.
Registered Manager of The Fostering Team, Anthony Turner, commented
that “It was a pleasure to host the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Stockport to
officially open our superb new offices. We’ve worked hard to make our new home
out of a recycled and repurposed building that connects with our fostering
values that, with second chances, children and young people can be given a new
lease of life, and positively thrive with the right kind of care and attention
from those who can see their true potential.”
Cllr David Wilson, Mayor of Stockport Borough Council commented
“It was an honour to be invited to the grand launch of The Fostering Team’s new
offices and officially open the stunning new facility alongside their team and
their existing foster carers. Providing children with the right environment for
them to develop and grow can be an extremely rewarding experience and I am glad
that The Fostering Team is able to offer that opportunity to those who want to
do something incredible and foster a child or sibling group.”
Nicola Tunbridge, Chair of The Board, said “Looking after a
child in foster care is a complex and challenging role. Every young person has
his or her own particular set of needs. The task of a foster carer is to meet
those needs and then help that child to aim high and to achieve his or her full
potential. Every year thousands of new foster carers are needed to help tens of
thousands of fostered children thrive. The Fostering Team hopes to attract
people from across the North West who have the skills, values and resilience to
support children whilst having the satisfaction of helping a young person
through a challenging time in their life.”
Dr Mica Douglas, Managing Director, said: “This is a very
exciting time in The Fostering Team’s evolution. Foster carers provide children
who are unable to live with their birth family a stable secure home, whether
that’s overnight or for several years. I would like to thank everyone who has been
involved in the office refurbishment. The new premises provide a wonderful
space for not only our current foster carers and staff to meet, support one
another, and undertake specialist training, but those who will join us in the
future.”
Motivations for fostering vary, some people want to give a
child they kind of childhood they had, others want to offer what they didn’t
have and others like the challenge of learning new skills that directly impact
on the lives of young people who have not had stability in their early life.
Contact us direct if you think you have what it takes or call in for a chat to
our newly refurbished premises at The Old Chapel, 57a Buxton Road, Stockport
SK2 6NB.
The Fostering Team provides foster care services to children and young people throughout Stockport, Manchester and throughout the North West and Yorkshire. For information about The Fostering Team, please telephone 0161483 or email info@thefosteringteam.co.uk