New team to recruit foster carers and strengthen services : Cumbria County Council

Four new members of staff join Cumbria County Council's Family Placement Teams to encourage more people into fostering and adoption, providing much needed homes for children in care in Cumbria. County Councillor John Mallinson, Cabinet spokesman for Care and Social Services says,

"I am pleased that we have been able to increase funding to foster care services this year. The additional staffing is important to the continued improvement to services and recruitment. Cumbria Social Services is desperately short of foster carers and adopters. Local children are in need of carers to ensure they can make the best of life chances. We have appointed a new recruitment officer to encourage more people to foster and adopt, raising awareness of the need for more carers in the county. We also have three new Training and Support Officers to build on current good practice and further improve Family Placement Services."

Rachel Bushby is the newly appointed Recruitment Officer and is responsible for improving and increasing recruitment countywide. Rachel says,

"I began by trying to increase accessibility to information about foster care and adoption - by updating the current internet site; placing adverts on local TV, radio stations and Yellow Pages. Newly designed posters and leaflets will be distributed throughout the county and we are sending out questionnaires to current carers for their ideas and feedback. I am also currently organising a Summer Campaign involving several events around the county designed to be fun for all the family. I want to increase people's awareness of the need for new carers and adopters - so watch this space!"

Karen Race, Jane Shaw and Jackie Winstanley have been appointed as Training and Support Officers. They will be helping to maintain and develop levels of communications and co-operation throughout the county and will ensure levels of training for potential foster carers and adopters are maintained.

Anyone interested in knowing more can contact the Family Placement Teams direct on;

Carlisle / Penrith (01228) 601537 Workington /Whitehaven (01900) 325356 Barrow / Kendal (01229)894862