Last week Warwickshire Fostering hosted its annual Celebration Event.
The evening was a special occasion dedicated to recognising the contributions of Warwickshire foster carers. Hosted in the historic Old Shire Hall in Warwick, the celebrations brought together fostering families, new applicants, and council officials to highlight successes, share inspiring stories, and appeal for more foster carers.
The event showcased the skills and compassion of Warwickshire's brightest fostering families, many of whom were incredibly proud of their contribution and astounded at being awarded the top prizes. Highlights included long-service awards recognising commitment from 10 years up to an extraordinary 30 years.
New to 2025 was the introduction of awards for the Children of Foster Carers, acknowledging the vital role they play in welcoming children into their homes. 14 children received awards from the Charity ‘Evelyn’s Gift’ with three sibling groups awarded prizes for their incredible kindness and understanding, welcoming children into their family and helping them feel a sense of belonging.
The honour of ‘Foster Carer of the Year’ was awarded to Jayne and Craig, for their eleven years of commitment, offering a safe, secure, and permanent home to three young people who will stay with them into adulthood and beyond.
Following their award the couple said, “For us, fostering is extremely rewarding; being able to watch a young child, who is often broken, go from strength to strength in all aspects of their life. Yes, there are challenges that present themselves along the way, but the rewards far out way these.”
“The advice, support and training that is offered to us enables us to be the best version of ourselves, which in turn gives our foster children the best opportunities in life. We would encourage anybody who is curious about fostering, to seek advice and make those first steps by contacting Warwickshire County Council Fostering.”
Other accolades included the 'Award for Working with the team around the child' given to Elinor and April, the 'Award for providing Support for other foster carers' to Joy, and the 'Advocating for a child' award for Alida and Ryan.
A central theme of the evening was the critical and ongoing need to recruit more foster carers across the county, particularly for teenagers and siblings. Warwickshire currently has 797 children in care.
Councillor George Finch, Leader and Portfolio Holder for Children and Families at Warwickshire County Council, said
"With nearly 800 children in care in Warwickshire alone, and national estimates pointing to a need for 6,000 more foster families across the UK in the next year, the numbers speak for themselves. We urgently need more people to take the next step and find out more about fostering with Warwickshire Fostering. By choosing to foster locally, applicants can help to ensure that children can remain close to their schools, friends, and family networks, which is truly invaluable."
Speaking at the event, Rebecca Clifford, Manager of the Warwickshire Fostering Recruitment Team, challenged common misconceptions about who is eligible to foster, encouraging a wider range of people to consider applying.
"There are lots of myths around who can be a foster carer. People assume they need to be superheroes or a perfect 2.4 children family. I can honestly say we have the most wonderful, diverse bunch of foster carers in Warwickshire. We are looking for people with love to give, with understanding that children who have been through tough experiences may find life tricky, and a spare room certainly helps. To anyone thinking of taking the leap, my team are available to talk you through the different options available to suit every lifestyle."
Could you be a proud foster carer at the Warwickshire Fostering Celebration Event next year? If you are considering becoming a foster carer for Warwickshire, the team would love to hear from you. Those with questions on beginning their journey into fostering are warmly invited to the final online information event in 2025 on 10th December at 7pm.
More details are available on the Warwickshire Fostering Website https://fostering.warwickshire.gov.uk/
You can also email: fosteringenquiries@warwickshire.gov.uk