Released On 1st Jul 2015

Engaging, informing, supporting: Men Who Foster in Bridgwater

On Thursday 22 October a group of male foster carers met at the Admiral’s landing pub in Bridgwater for the latest ‘men who foster’ evening. 

Many of the men, who had come from a variety of fostering schemes spanning mainstream fostering to Stepping Stones and Parent and Child Fostering, had not met before the evening. The opportunity to meet other men who foster is relatively rare, and sharing experiences is an important part of the evening – helped along with a lively game of knock-out pool!

A quiz, exploring statistics and attitudes towards male carers followed, along with a very interesting presentation on placements. This explained the work of the team, the demand for different types of placements, and the processes used to identify the most appropriate placement for the child. Judging by the number of questions asked, this presentation generated a considerable amount of interest, and helped clarify what actually happens before you get ‘the phone call’.

The evening finished with information on recent research about the difference men can make in working with vulnerable children.

So often the involvement of men in child care is marginalised, but the research challenges this perception and demonstrates the significant difference to a child’s life that an actively engaged father figure can make.

If you missed this particular evening, we are running a repeat on Thursday 12 November at the White Hart Hotel, Church Street in Martock from 7.30pm until 9.30pm. This will include a buffet supper, and all male carers are welcome.

To book, please contact SCIL, or phone 0800 587 9900. If you can’t come along, please think about coming next year.