Time to Foster, Time to Care. You can make a difference.

Action for Children Fostering Wales is a charity not-forprofit organisation based at Beechwood Park, Newport. It is run by a passionate team who are family orientated and whose sole purpose is to help bring joy and happiness to children who desperately need it.

Voice got the chance to put a few questions to Matt Lewis, Children’s Placement Manager with Action for Children before the up-and-coming Foster Care Fortnight, which this year takes place from Monday 16 to Sunday, May 29.

How many children are there currently in Wales that are in care? In 2015 there were over 5,500 children in the care of local authorities in Wales.

How do these children get into this situation in the first place? There are times when children and young people, whose families are having problems, need to live elsewhere. Foster parents give them a home during this time.

Why is it so important that these children get the care they deserve? It’s vital because the children and young people we help have often had traumatic or difficult experiences to deal with so it’s our job to find them a home where they can be looked after in a safe and caring environment.

How can people foster? We make the application process clear and simple and we’ll answer any questions that a prospective foster parent may have. We also make sure they get the training they need to do a great job.

What are the most common questions people ask about fostering? Do I need to own my own house? – Whether you own or rent it doesn’t matter. You only need to have a spare bedroom.

Do I need childcare qualifications? – No. Your own experience of nurturing/caring for children is what really matters and we provide you with an excellent training and support programme to help you develop your skills further.

Am I too old? – Nearly half (44 per cent) of the nation thinks that you can’t be a foster parent over the age of 55. We don’t actually have any upper age limit. All we ask is that you have enough energy to look after lively children.

You are well known for your matching service with foster parents and children, what’s involved with this process? It is crucial for us to find the right foster family for every child and we work really hard to make sure the correct match happens. Each child needs to be cared for by the right foster parent to meet his or her specific needs.

Finally, if someone is interested in becoming a foster parent how can they get in touch? Please call us on 01633 270422 or email fostering.wales@ actionforchildren.org.uk.

You can also take a look at the work we do at actionforchildren. org.uk or find us on Facebook at actionforchildrenfosteringwales.

If fostering is not for you, you can still show your support by helping to raise much needed funds for this worthy charity as they also hold numerous charity fun days throughout the year, so get involved!

Action for Children Fostering Wales is located at The Stable Block, Beechwood Park, Newport NP19 8AJ. For all enquiries call the friendly and helpful team on 01633 270422.