Black History Month is important for foster carers, especially when supporting children from the global majority as it helps create an environment that acknowledges and celebrates their heritage. For children in our care, having their culture and identity valued is crucial for their sense of belonging and self-worth.

 

Marking the month offers foster carers the opportunity to learn more about the cultures, histories, and achievements of people from the global majority, which helps them better understand and support the unique experiences of these children.

 

By engaging with the history of the global majority, foster carers can provide a more inclusive home environment where children feel seen and represented. It also helps foster carers to understand and address any issues of racism or discrimination that a child might face, providing them with the necessary emotional support. Celebrating diverse role models and achievements can empower children and give them a sense of pride in their identity.

 

Overall, Black History Month allows foster carers to build stronger relationships with the children in their care by honouring their cultural heritage. It promotes inclusivity, understanding, and a deeper connection, which are all essential in helping foster children feel secure and valued.

 

Foster Portsmouth are marking Black History Month this October by once again celebrating the vital contribution of all our existing foster carers from the global majority – and to raise awareness of the need for more – as well as the diversity of the children in our care.

 

READ ROLAND’S STORY: HERE

 

Foster Portsmouth’s pledge to our children and young people includes the crucial promise: “Your identity is important to us, and we promise to help you with connecting to your heritage and history.” Working in partnership with our foster carers is critical to this.

 

To reflect the children and young people we care for in our city, we need additional foster carers from diverse backgrounds with the skills and experience to help children develop a positive sense of their own identity and pride.

 

The Black History Month website has shared: “By addressing disproportionality, providing positive role models, and reducing placement breakdowns, increasing the number of Black foster carers can significantly improve the well-being and long-term outcomes for Black children in care.”

 

When placing a child with a foster family, we consider a range of criteria to ensure the best match possible and secure its success. These include not only the age and gender of the child and those of the foster carer’s children, but also the number of children in the home, location, ethnicity and religion, as well as additional factors such as pets. However, the most important consideration is the individual needs of the child and a foster carer’s experience.

 

Our foster carers come from all walks of life, and they all share the same commitment and motivation to make a positive difference to a child’s life.  This could be a short or long-term arrangement for a child, young person or siblings until they’re ready to live independently or be reunited with family, support for children seeking asylum or children with a disability, supported lodgings to develop their independent living skills, a parent and baby placement, or respite care.

 

Anyone aged 21+ with a spare bedroom could foster with Foster Portsmouth regardless of their age, gender, faith, ethnicity, sexuality, marital or work status, or whether they rent or own their own home. Our foster carers – many of which continue to foster for many years – come from Portsmouth itself or the immediate surrounding areas, from Emsworth and Rowlands Castle to Gosport and Fareham, and Waterlooville and Petersfield to Havant and Hayling Island.

 

Foster Portsmouth offer our foster carers an extensive range of round the clock support, including the pioneering, award-winning Mockingbird model of foster care. They also benefit from excellent, local training and a competitive financial package made up of the recently increased allowances and skill fees – which reflects how highly we value our carers – and discounts and benefits. These enable our foster carers to concentrate on what matters most; the children and young people in their care.

 

Can you open your heart to Portsmouth’s children and young people?

 

To enquire about fostering with Foster Portsmouth, or to arrange a 1:1 with one of our experienced team or existing foster carers, please contact us.