Oldhamers urged to consider fostering as part of new campaign

Oldham residents are being urged to come forward and foster children in their local communities as part of a new Greater Manchester-wide campaign.

Working alongside Oldham Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the nine other Greater Manchester councils are collaborating on a variety of projects designed to boost foster carer numbers in the region,  and raise the profile of their vital role in helping local children and young people to thrive. 

One key project is Fostering Unfiltered, which is a bold new campaign aimed at showing the realities of being a foster family with refreshing honestly.

It reflects the real lives of existing foster carers by sharing their everyday experiences and challenges.

The campaign turns the spotlight on the real-life experiences of Greater Manchester’s community of nearly 1,500 foster carers to encourage local people explore the idea of fostering and decide whether it’s right for them.

Councillor Shaid Mushtaq, Cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: “A child or young person who can no longer live with their real family should have the opportunity to be placed in a caring and safe home.

"For many children, this doesn’t happen because there simply aren’t enough foster carers to look after children who need it.

“I welcome this campaign as a way of shining a light on the truth about being a foster carer, and giving people a greater knowledge to make a decision about whether fostering is the right path for them.

"I hope the Fostering Unfiltered campaign goes some way to encourage people from all communities to make an enquiry.”

One of the campaign’s key objectives is to showcase the real Greater Manchester fostering community.

As well as real foster carer stories forming part of the website, carers also took part in a photoshoot to develop images for the campaign.

Pam, the face of one of the campaign’s adverts, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be part of this Greater Manchester campaign and we really wanted to play a part in encouraging others to come forward.

"It’s not an easy role but reading the carer stories in this campaign will give you a rounded view of the role, the support you get and the difference you can make.

“We foster because my friend fostered for her local council and she inspired us into it 10 years ago.

"It’s such a rewarding role and it’s nice to see local carers stories come together to be part of this site to bring to life the reality of fostering.”

On the Fostering Unfiltered website you can hear from a variety of Greater Manchester foster carers who share their own fostering journey and provide an insight into fostering that they would have found useful when they were considering the role.

Find out more about the campaign by clicking here

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