A startling 7,500 children on any given day can be in foster care across Yorkshire and Humberside. Each year more and more children enter foster care or residential care facilities. At least 890 children are currently being looked after in Bradford, UK, with 627 of these children being fostered. The numbers are startling as are the costs it can take for children to be in residential care as opposed to foster care. Residential homes require a building and staff costs. Foster care allows a child to go to a home of the foster care families. It is still 2,000 pounds a week or 21,840 pounds a year to look after a child in foster care; however, this is significantly less than the 104,000 pounds spent on residential care facilities.
Bradford revealed 41 million pounds per year are spent looking after children in residential and foster care situations. Bradford council members and the Fostering Network Charity are asking for help.
Children who are eight to 18 years old are less likely to be adopted or even fostered, yet they need care. The request for help simply asks for experienced parents to think about becoming one of the many foster carers in Bradford as a second job or a new job.
Parents who have grown children have experience in raising well behaved and successful children. It is this experience which is needed for fostering. Many of the children come from broken homes or a hard start, and are just looking for a place to fit in. Some of the children need more care than others and definite boundaries to help them enjoy a more rewarding social experience.
Fostering is a worthwhile situation to get into for anyone who has some extra love to give to a child and the experience necessary to raise a young person no matter their background. For parents in a situation of an empty nest it can be rewarding and help bring back the enjoyment of having children around.
Fostering children is a way to save a kid’s life. By giving back to children they have a place to go. They can have dreams and feel the confidence to achieve those dreams. Bradford has a promising record with fostering children compared to other boroughs and areas of the UK.
Certainly fostering a child is not an easy decision. Anyone who wants to become a foster parent has to be committed to the situation. They have to understand one or more of the foster kids they take on may not become adopted. It is a commitment to take care of a child through their life, as a steady and loving home is truly needed. Moving foster children in and out of new homes can be difficult . Good health and a strong desire to help children in need become wonderful adults is how anyone can help the rising number of kids entering foster care or residential care.