Stockport Council adopts ‘Fostering Friendly Policy’ for their staff

Stockport Council is supporting a new initiative to help their staff who want to foster get the extra support they need to help balance fostering with their other working commitments.

The council has adopted a ‘Fostering Friendly Policy’ which gives five days’ extra leave to any employee who is applying to become a foster carer so they can attend any meetings, home visits or training sessions as part of the preparation and assessment process.

The Council’s flexible, foster-friendly approach has been launched to all staff and is encouraging other local businesses and organisations in Stockport to do the same.

Cllr Wendy Meikle, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Children & Young People said:

“As an employer, the council has introduced this flexible, fostering friendly approach to ensure our staff who are considering becoming a foster carer are given the support and the opportunity to help them balance work and the busy role of a foster carer.  Our foster carers are making a real difference to young children in Stockport and they do a wonderful job and we are trying to help life a little easier from them and allow them the time to be trained and supported to become the best foster carer they can be.

“There are many children who need a caring home and I would urge firms and organisations in Stockport to help wherever they can. Just making a few small changes to leave arrangements and working practices won’t make a massive difference to your organisation but it could make a massive difference to children’s lives by supporting someone to come forward to foster”.

Anyone interested in finding out more about fostering should contact the team on 0161 474 3400 or visit the website www.stockport.gov.uk/fostering.

The council also holds regularly monthly open evenings on the first Tuesday every month, starting at 6pm at Stockport Town Hall.  The next planned open evenings will take place on Tuesday 2^nd February and Tuesday 1^st March 2016.

There are many different types of foster carer roles, from short and long term placements to parent and child placements and specialist fostering, and more foster carers are urgently needed in the Stockport.