Foster Carers send festive cheer to local children’s hospice

Jan. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- A group of foster families celebrated Christmas by having a party and raising funds for Chestnut Tree House recently. The foster carers, foster children and birth children enjoyed an evening of fun in Hove at a special event organised as a thank you for their hard work by independent fostering agency Blue Sky Fostering.

The foster carers and Blue Sky staff worked really hard to gather prizes for a raffle and auction and managed to raise £561.07 on the night for the Children’s Hospice which provides vital support for families who have children with life-limiting illnesses.

Kim English, the Regional Co-ordinator and Tracy Monks from Blue Sky Fostering, supported the foster carers in organising the fundraising event and said, "We often get together to celebrate the successes of our foster carers and the children they look after but this time the foster carers wanted to try to make a difference to others who are less fortunate. Chestnut Tree House was a great choice for us as it is local and it is also child centred which is really important to our foster carers. I would also like to thank the staff at The View on Hove seafront, for not only helping to raise money by donating 50p from every glass of mulled wine sold, but who also generously gave their tips to this very worthwhile cause!”

Blue Sky Fostering supports its foster carers from their office in Shoreham and the agency is looking for more people to consider fostering this year.

There is currently a real need for foster carers who are prepared to look after teenagers and provide a safe and secure environment by offering a routine, boundaries and encouragement to help build their self esteem. A more specialist area potential foster carers may be interested in is Parent & Child fostering where the foster family look after a mum, or mum & dad and a young child – often a new born baby -  teaching the young parent appropriate skills so they can look after their child safely in the community.

To be a foster carer with Blue Sky Fostering you need to have a spare bedroom, access to a car for school runs etc, no children under 10 living at home and the commitment to being a foster carer full time.

If you are interested in fostering and want to find out more, Blue Sky Fostering can be contacted on 0845 6076697 or through http://www.blueskyfostering.com