OLDER children entering care are facing a long wait for a home due to a shortage of registered carers in Bracknell Forest.

The council are urging residents to consider fostering teenagers in order to tackle the shortfall in the number of foster carers in the borough and have launched their latest campaign ahead of a national 'Sons and Daughters' campaign in October. 

There is a significant lack of suitable carers registered for children aged over 10 and the council's family placement team ask residents to consider homing a young person on either a short-term or long-term basis. 

The national Sons and Daughters campaign is an annual celebration of foster families and the contribution foster children can make to families. 

Cllr Gareth Barnard, executive member for children, young people and learning, said: "Teenagers who enter care have usually experienced a range of difficulties. Children might have witnessed or experienced drug or alcohol abuse and had to learn to survive before they were ready.

"We need to find more foster families who can see past the impact of previous experiences and see the child behind.

"Being the foster carer of a teenager may sometimes be a challenge, but it is rewarding to see their growth and progress. Foster carers can make a huge difference. We have a number of 10 to 16 year olds who need a loving and supportive home in which they can be encouraged to learn, change and grow into independent young people.

"Foster carers can help young people through the difficulties and challenges they face and be there day after day, with a warm smile and time to help them ‘unpick’ their day, the good ones and the hard ones." 

Potential foster carers should be people who can build a relationship with the young person, be understanding of their past, be calm, negotiate boundaries and take the time to form connections and help them recover from trauma. 

In return foster carers receive full support from the council as well as an allowance of up to £1,452.64 a month for 11 to 15 year olds and up to £1,481.60 a month for children aged over 16. 

Anyone aged over 21 can apply to be a foster carer and those interested should contact the family placement team on 01344 352 020.

An informal fostering information session will be held on Wednesday, 23 September, between 7pm and 9pm at Brownlow Memorial Hall in Warfield.