Hull City Council is encouraging employers in Hull to consider becoming Fostering Friendly.
Fostering Friendly is an initiative created by The Fostering Network, the UK’s leading fostering charity. The scheme aims to encourage businesses and organisations to support employees who are foster carers, or those on their journey to become a foster carer.
Foster carers provide care, support and stability to children and young people who can’t live with their birth families. It is important that employers not only acknowledge this essential role, but also actively promote and celebrate fostering. Embracing a Fostering Friendly policy supports employees who are also foster carers, but also inspires those who might be thinking about it.
Businesses that adopt the Fostering Friendly policy can have a positive impact on their foster carer employees. All employers need to do is promote fostering and offer foster carers flexible working, which includes up to five days of paid leave. This enables them to:
- Attend fostering commitments (i.e. meetings around the child)
- Undertake training
- Help settle a new child/children into their home
The scheme is free to join and The Fostering Network can provide a template Fostering Friendly HR policy. To start the journey to becoming Fostering Friendly, email fosteringfriendly@fostering.net or visit The Fostering Network.
Becoming an accredited Fostering Friendly employer brings a host of benefits, like becoming a more attractive employer, demonstrating strong corporate social responsibility, contributing to the local community and most of all, making a huge impact for foster children in Hull.
There’s also the opportunity to receive additional training and skills through courses provided by Hull City Council, including in first aid, medication, health and safety, dealing with conflict and more.
Hull City Council is a Fostering Friendly employer. Hull Fostering have been working hard over the last year to encourage local employers to join in pledging support for children in care.
In 2021, 40% of foster carers combined their fostering role with other employment.
Hull Fostering work with local businesses and organisations to become Fostering Friendly employers by adapting their HR policies to allow additional leave and benefits to employees who also foster.
To get in touch with Hull Fostering about becoming Fostering Friendly, email fostering@hullcc.gov.uk.
The Fostering Friendly Employer scheme gives local businesses the opportunity to support its work to recruit more foster carers, giving Hull’s most vulnerable children and young people a better chance of finding a loving and caring foster home.
Hull City Council offers a huge thank you to those businesses already supporting foster carers, including the University of Hull, Humberside Police and Stagecoach, the most recent organisation to join the Fostering Friendly scheme.
Councillor Linda Tock, the portfolio holder for Children’s Services at Hull City Council said: “We believe that providing practical assistance to Hull City Council employees who choose to foster some of the most vulnerable children in our city is both pioneering and puts the needs of our looked-after children first. By enabling these employees to access paid time off to meet their caring commitments, we are taking a significant step forward.
“We amended our HR policy to allow five extra paid leave days per year for foster care duties. It will not only create more opportunities for employees to support our children and young people in need of loving homes, but also have a significant positive impact on the lives of the children being fostered.
“We are proud to be a fostering-friendly local authority and encourage businesses of all sizes to join this free scheme.”
Operations Manager, Martin McDougall for Hull Depot of Stagecoach, said: “We are lucky to have a fantastic team of foster carers here at Stagecoach. They truly go above and beyond to provide children and young people with a safe and loving home, helping them achieve their goals and thrive. While fostering certainly has its challenges, it is also incredibly fulfilling. That’s why we are thrilled to be a fostering-friendly employer, supporting our team every step of the way!”
