Vineyard Fostering Agency, a newly established independent, Ofsted registered, fostering agency set up in the middle of the pandemic is now open and ready for placing children in care into loving foster homes.
The Department of Education reported that there are over 80,000 children in care which is up 2% from 2019.This situation, in the last year, was further compounded by the pandemic. According to the UK’s leading children’s charity Barnados, the number of children needing foster care rose by 44% during the Corona virus pandemic while the number of people looking to become foster carers has plummeted by half compared to the same period last year (Barnados, UK June 2020)
Vineyard Fostering was set up by a small team of dedicated professionals. Setting up an organisation in the middle of a pandemic was challenging but the committed team at Vineyard did not let it stop them.
Foster carer numbers have been dwindling in recent years and the desperate need to find loving homes for vulnerable children has been the driving force behind forging ahead to set up the fostering agency.
The sad reality is that without the quantity and range of foster carers that are needed, children and young people will find themselves lacking stable homes where they can receive love and nurturing and develop the basic skills needed for their futures. Children and young people could end up being placed far from family and friends, split up from their siblings, or even placed with carers that are not suited for them.
Here at Vineyard, our promise is to provide life-changing and positive outcomes for children and young people by placing them with committed and loving foster families, and an excellent service to our Local Authority partners. We are committed to providing the quality of care that meets and supports the individual needs of every child and young person placed with us, whilst promoting their choice because every child is unique.
Vineyard is inviting people who feel passionate about helping children in care to consider becoming foster carers. With the ever-rising number of children in care, matching children to the right families is critically important for their future.
We value our Foster carers and guide, train and support them every step of the way ensuring they feel empowered and confident in their role. Our training courses and resources help to ensure our staff and foster carers are well trained, fully supported and equipped with skills that will enable them to promote an excellent standard of care delivery to the children and young people. In addition, our wealth of knowledge from our work with young people gives us an edge to support foster carers.
We are committed to working with Local Authorities in supporting them to meet their sufficiency planning and objectives. Together, we can offer hope to hundreds of children and young people coming into care and in need of a safe and nurturing home.
Fostering vulnerable children has its share of challenges but can also be highly rewarding. If you have room in your heart and in your home along with patience and compassion, we urge you to consider providing a loving, caring and stable home for children and young people in care. We welcome foster carers from any culture or background and look forward to hearing from you.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer, please do not hesitate to contact Vineyard Fostering by email at enquiries@vineyardfostering.co.uk, or alternatively by telephone on 01582 522308.
‘Every child is one caring adult away from being a success story’- Josh Shipp
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