Buckinghamshire businesses invited to join Fostering Friendly initiative

Foster with Bucks is inviting local businesses and employers of all sizes to sign up to the Fostering Friendly scheme and help make a real difference to the lives of children looked after in Buckinghamshire, and the foster carers who support them.

With more than 500 children in Buckinghamshire in need of loving homes, and nearly 40% of foster carers balancing fostering with other employment, effective workplace and community support is essential to inspiring and enabling more people to foster.

Buckinghamshire’s Fostering Friendly scheme invites local businesses to play their part in supporting the fostering community, showing that even the smallest organisations can make a big difference by creating a welcoming environment, sharing messages through their networks, and finding simple ways to show support.

Businesses which join Buckinghamshire’s Fostering Friendly scheme can demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility while gaining access to valuable resources such as a welcome pack, newsletters, a digital toolkit with social media templates, posters and more – as well as a mention on the Foster with Bucks’ Fostering Friendly webpage.

Supporting foster carers through flexible workplace policies or offering perks can make it easier for foster carers to balance work and fostering responsibilities. When carers feel supported, they can focus on giving the children in their care the best possible environment to grow and thrive. Fostering Friendly businesses can also boost foster carer recruitment and retention by offering perks or flexible employment options, ensuring more families in Buckinghamshire feel valued and appreciated, and feel more able to offer stable, loving homes for the more than 500 children in care.

As Foster with Bucks is working together with the national Fostering Friendly scheme by The Fostering Network, their team can guide organisations through The Fostering Network’s sign-up process and help employers find ways to support the fostering community, from sharing information or hosting events to offering discounts, experiences, and opportunities for care leavers.

Carl Jackson, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education & Children’s Services, said:

“By becoming Fostering Friendly, a business becomes part of a network dedicated to supporting foster carers and children across Buckinghamshire. Every business has something to offer. Together we can create an even more fostering friendly Buckinghamshire where foster carers are supported and more looked after children benefit from a loving home.”

Foster with Bucks is currently inviting businesses to join their Fostering Friendly launch brunch on 29 January, where businesses can find out more about the scheme, network and have brunch together. Sign up here for the business brunch in Aylesbury, Thursday 29 January 11:30am to 1pm.

Find out more about fostering in Buckinghamshire at Foster with Bucks webpage.