Foster carers from across the province will be donning their gladrags and taking their carriages to the Fostering Network Northern Ireland’s fundraising ball, to find out who has won the second Foster Carer of the Year Award, on Friday 9 May.
The Candles and Cocktails Ball will be held at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, Bangor, where guests will enjoy a three-course meal, the chance of a flutter at the casino and then be able to dance into the small hours to a live band. Over 270 guests are expected, and the Fostering Network aims to raise £20,000 to support its work with foster carers and fostered children.
The Ball marks the beginning of Foster Care Fortnight (12-25 May), the Fostering Network’s annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and to encourage more people to become foster carers.
This year, under the strapline fostering: recognise the qualities you’ve got, the campaign encourages people to realise that they may already share the same qualities as those currently fostering, and that these are the basis for becoming a great foster carer. The right qualities include strong listening and observational skills, a good sense of humour, optimism and resilience.
Kate Lewis, director of the Fostering Network Northern Ireland, said: "The Ball is a celebration of the dedication and commitment foster carers show to some of Northern Ireland’s most vulnerable children. But it also plays another role, which is to raise much needed funds to ensure that the 1,500 children and young people living with foster families on any given day receive the highest quality care. It will also enable us to offer better support to foster carers, who make an amazing contribution to the lives of children and young people every day."
The current shortage of 350 foster carers in Northern Ireland means some children are unnecessarily moved from home to home, far from friends and family, and are separated from siblings.
To find out more about fostering and becoming a foster carer visit www.couldyoufoster.org.uk
