Appeal to find more foster carers

Flintshire fears the carer shortage could get worse

A plea for more foster carers has been made by a north Wales council which says it urgently needs another 40 volunteers to look after children.

Flintshire Council says it must recruit or face a major shortage in the future.

The council says the drop in volunteers is part of a UK-wide trend which has seen fewer people wanting to foster.

Flintshire's marketing and recruitment officer Jill Nixon said: "There's just not as many as there used to be. It can be a lot more challenging these days."

She added: "It could be for a variety of reasons. For instance, that couples both tend to work these days, so they're generally busier.

"Also, there's been a rise in the number of sibling placings - where brothers and sisters are fostered in the same home, which obviously doesn't suit everybody.

"We need 40 new foster carers, and we need to make sure we get the right people."

Flintshire currently has 60 children living with foster families.

The plea for more carers coincides with a UK-wide campaign - Foster Care Fortnight - which starts on 8 May and is run by the Fostering Network charity.

Anyone interested in fostering in Flintshire can call the Family Placement Team on 01352 701000.