Make a difference to a child's life today

SUPER foster carers Bob and Jackie Smith with 17-year-old Nicole

A NEW campaign has been launched to find more than 700 foster carers.

There are 23 local authorities backing the drive across the North-West under the Twitter hashtag "youcanfoster".

Places for brothers and sisters are particularly high on the priorities for the region.

Rewarding

Nicole (17) was fostered from the age of nine by Bob and Jackie Smith, who currently foster five children.

She said: "I want to thank Jackie and Bob for everything they've done, keeping me as part of their family and pushing me to achieve my ambitions.

"They are the best people in my life and without them I wouldn't be here today."

In the North-West alone, there are 9,000 children and young people in foster placements, out of around 52,000 across England.

The region-wide campaign aims to replace foster carers who have stepped down from the role due to retirement or other causes.

Mrs Smith said: "I can't talk enough about how rewarding foster care is. It's the chance to truly make a difference and change someone's life for the better.

"We've seen children come into our care who have basically lost their childhood, have no confidence and often won't even speak.

"Seeing them go from that to really confident and happy people is one of the most rewarding things you can do."

Further priorities in the search for carers include helping children from ethic minority backgrounds and new migrant communities.

For more information visit www.youcanfoster.org