Foster carers made ordinary moments extraordinary this Christmas when they provided a loving home for hundreds of children in County Durham. Seven hundred and sixty children spent Christmas in the care of Durham County Council. And foster carers gave young people an experience some may never have had before. Carers Graham and Melanie Petre spoke of the magical Christmas moments they have had with their foster children. “You get up on Christmas morning and you see their little faces, and some of them don’t know what to do because they have never ever had Christmas and never had Christmas presents,” said Melanie. “It’s things like that which stick in your mind.”
Across County Durham the number of foster placements continues to grow, but more prospective parents are needed to open their hearts and their homes to an increasing number of children in care. The more foster families the council has, the more children will be able to remain in their local communities. In addition to mainstream fostering, the Foster Xtra scheme is also being developed to enable foster care to be provided to young people with some of the most complex needs. Prospective adoptive parents are also urged to find out more about providing a permanent home for a Durham child For more information about fostering with Durham County Council call 03000 269400 or visit www. durham.gov.uk/fostering. For more information about adoption visit www.durham. gov.uk/adoption.
