Cumbria Fostering is holding an event during Refugee Week, where local residents can find out more about offering a safe space in their homes to refugee children seeking sanctuary in our region.
Refugee Week runs until June 22 and Cumbria Fostering is asking could you provide that safe space in a new place? Somewhere vulnerable children can feel secure, cared for and hopeful for a better future?
Somewhere they can settle for a few weeks, months or sometimes years as they take steps towards their future.
They’re just children.
They arrive here from often incredibly traumatic situations – fleeing from war, persecution, violence and civil unrest.
Some have been trafficked, many exploited as they made their way here. These refugee children arrive without parents or family to look after them.
As a result, they have emotional, cultural and practical needs – but you could be the one to help them reclaim their childhoods. They need a safe place to call home.
They need to know that there is someone there for them.
Cumbrian councils offer different options for looking after young people, this could include foster care or providing supported lodgings as a Homestays provider.
You could be a foster carer – looking after children or teenagers who can’t live with their birth families, giving them the space and support to feel safe and secure.
Or you could provide supported lodgings. This is offering a place in your home to a teenager who has been in care or who arrives in this country with no family or safe place to stay.
They want to be in education or training and you can be there to prepare them for the future and support them on their journey to independence.
You will be provided with support and training to help you care for these children. Understandably, there can be challenges, but you will have the help you need, when you need it.
Our foster carer Deb, of Wigton, has cared for a number of separated young people.
She said: “The young people are all suffering trauma and it is important not to overwhelm them or take for granted their understanding of how we do things.”
She has found ways to connect with the young people in her care.
She said: “Food is a really good way to connect and being adventurous and offering to cook their cuisine or dishes helps the break down barriers.
“My life has been enriched by sharing our home with lots of different ideas and cultures over the years but it is also quite emotionally challenging when you hear what they have been through. I would, however, highly recommend it to anybody.”
You can find out more about the training and support on offer at an online event this week:
Thursday June 19 – Join the online fostering information event from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and listen to a short presentation and hear from foster carer Deb about her experience of fostering young people seeking refuge.
To register for our event visit the event booking page here.
To register for the event or to find out more, visit cumbriafostering.org.uk
