THERE are currently around 690 children in care in Worcestershire – this is about 30 per cent higher than six years ago.

According to Worcestershire County Council there are many reasons for this significant upward trend including the economy, a county increase in mental health issues, drug and alcohol misuse and changes in national guidance.

But no matter what the reasons, the rise in these figures show a need for more foster carers within the county.

Grace Wyatt, director of private Worcestershire fostering agency Nexus Fostering, is encouraging more people to sign up to become foster carers.

She said: “We need carers to enable young people to have a positive experience of family life. To give them stability, routine, boundaries, support and care. We need them to guide and support the young person so they can develop skills which will help them into and throughout adulthood.”

Grace goes on to highlight the importance of ensuring young people are fostered in the areas where that already live.

“In an ideal world, we aim to keep young people in their local area where they may already have friends and the consistency of their local school which may be their only haven. Of course there are also times when young people need to move away from their local area.”

She adds that there is no ‘one size fits all’ type of carer, and Nexus Fostering actively encourages carers from a wide variety of backgrounds.

“We need people who enjoy the company of young people and who are resilient and can work as part of a team in the best interests of a young person - people who can be child-centred and put the needs of the child first and include them as part of the family and have fun.”

There are some minimum requirements that potential carers need to meet, she said. “Practically, they need to have a spare bedroom and it is useful if they can drive - depending on where they live”.

Grace added that fostering is a rewarding profession in which carers receive extensive training to ensure they can perform their duties to the best of their abilities as well as a weekly allowance.

Nexus runs regular Introduction to Fostering events in Worcestershire and anyone wanting to find out more about becoming a foster carer can go along to the next one on Thursday October 15 from 7pm to 9pm in Bromsgrove. The venue is Hilton Birmingham Bromsgrove, Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B61 0JB.