Interested individuals, couples or those with families are being invited to meet local need for foster care for older children and young people who are unable to live with their own families.

Also, more experienced carers are being recruited to foster children and young people with additional needs such as learning or physical disabilities, for short breaks or the longer term.

Besides ongoing training and support for carers from the council’s team as well as from local foster carers, a financial package is provided that recognises the foster carer’s commitment and care and the level of need they support.

Currently York has 150 children and young people in foster care and no child waits for a placement. Those who can’t be found a York foster carer are matched by independent fostering agencies to approved carers who may not live in York. As a result, ten per cent of York’s fostered children live in wider Yorkshire which can affect their links and connections.

Howard Lovelady, Group Manager at City of York Council, said: “We are so lucky to have over 115 dedicated foster households in York who ensure that 90% of York’s fostered children and young people are cared for in the city near their birth families, school and health services. But we’d like to recruit more local carers to give even more of our fostered children and young people the best possible experience.

“There has always been a need for foster carers for teenagers and disabled young people and, with a number of recent retirements, we are looking for more people who want to commit to a career in fostering and who can use their professional skills to rise to that challenge: giving an older child or young person with additional needs the care and support of a loving and safe foster home.

“We’re not interested in your age or whether you already have children, but you do need the time, space, energy and expertise to dedicate to a child in need. We’ll give you all the support you need and a financial package to match.”

Jackie Sanders, director at The Fostering Network, said: “As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care. We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people who need support at a critical point in their young lives.

“A good foster carer will believe in the ambition of the children in their care in the same way they’d believe in the ambition of their own family members. A childhood is too short to waste, and foster carers can help those who haven’t had the best start begin to enjoy their life and grow into the adults that they want to be.”

Foster carers receive a weekly allowance to cover day-to-day expenses like clothing, food and household costs involved in looking after each child and have the opportunity to receive additional payments which reflect the skills and expertise developed through training, experience and contribution to our fostering community.

For more information on how you can get involved with fostering in York visit www.york.gov.uk/fostering, email fostering@york.gov.uk  or call 01904 555333 at any time to chat it through.

Members of the council’s Fostering team and Foster Carers will also be at Monks Cross Shopping Centre on 5 and on 6 June to answer questions and give information on becoming a foster carer.