Newham Council has launched a campaign to recruit foster carers from a wider range of cultural backgrounds as it seeks to address a shortage of foster families amid growing demand across London.
The council said it was looking to attract more foster carers from Bangladeshi and Black African communities, including people of Somali, Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage, to help meet the needs of children requiring care in the east London borough.
Across London, more than 9,700 children currently need foster care placements, while the UK faces an estimated shortfall of around 6,000 foster carers, according to the council.
Newham said it would work with local residents, existing foster carers and community organisations to raise awareness of fostering, challenge cultural misconceptions and encourage more people to consider becoming carers.
"We are proud to be launching a campaign that speaks directly to every Newham adult, encouraging them to think about fostering," Councillor Lakmini Shah, the council's Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Communities, said in a statement.
"We are committed to growing the number of local in-house foster carers. We recognise we cannot continue to rely so heavily on external provision. We want people from Newham to recognise that they could indeed be the missing piece in a child's life," she added.
Newham launches drive to recruit foster carers from diverse communities amid shortage Newham Council
The council said it was seeking foster families for babies, toddlers, teenagers, sibling groups, children with disabilities and those who have experienced complex trauma.
It said shortages have meant the local authority has increasingly relied on Independent Fostering Agencies to meet immediate demand.
As part of the recruitment drive, Newham Council plans to increase attendance at information sessions held online and in person to explain the fostering process and eligibility requirements.
The authority said foster carers would have access to a range of support services, including a specialist advice line available around the clock.
Shah said the campaign aimed to ensure more children could be cared for within their local communities while encouraging residents who may not realise they are eligible to foster to come forward.
