It is currently Foster Care Fortnight and The Fostering Network has said there is an urgent need for 1,050 more families in the North West to come forward to foster (the highest in the country), especially those able to foster teenagers and groups of brothers and sisters.

As a foster carer I have seen how important it is for children to grow up in a safe, loving and stable environment, and how foster care can transform the life of not only a fostered child but also a fostering family.

I would urge anyone who thinks they have the skills and experience to be foster carers to pick up the phone to their local fostering service or visit www.couldyoufoster.org.uk

Darren Harman-Page

Foster carer

C/O The Fostering Network

87, Blackfriars Road

London

SE1 8HA