Lorraine Pascale – celebrity chef, author and patron of fostering charity TACT (The Adolescent and Children’s Trust) is backing a campaign to find more foster carers in Dorset.
Lorraine said: ”There are currently more than 800 looked after children and young people in Dorset who desperately need a loving home. As someone who has been fostered, I know only too well the issues faced by children in care, which is why I strongly support TACT’s campaign to find people in Dorset who are willing to foster and thus transform young lives.”
John Fallowfield – TACT’s Senior Supervising Social Worker for Dorset said” I am delighted that Lorraine is helping us to raise awareness of fostering in Dorset. People are quick to rule themselves out of fostering because there is a lot of conflicting information about who can foster. A wide variety of people are capable of making a positive difference to a child’s life; we need carers from all cultures and religions whether married, single or living with a partner. And there is also no upper age limit to foster; many people foster well into their 60s and sometimes even 70’s.”
The dire lack of foster carers in Dorset has led TACT to launch the campaign led by John – a qualified social worker with 10 years of experience working with vulnerable children and families.
John said: “What matters is that you have personal qualities such as patience, commitment, empathy, humour and energy as well as a caring and nurturing approach. Foster carers describe fostering as a journey and as life changing. As well as having the opportunity to be significant in a child’s life you will have the opportunity to develop and grow as a person and as a family.”
If you are interested in finding out more about fostering then please telephone: 0330 123 2250 or complete our enquiry form to request an information pack.
