A not-for-profit fostering agency is appealing for a compassionate family to provide a loving temporary foster home for a young brother and sister who desperately want to stay together.
Diagrama Fostering, which supports foster carers across London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, is searching for a foster family with two spare bedrooms who can offer stability, security and warmth to a five-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister.
The siblings have times when they get on well and have fun together, they also have times when they need adult support to nurture their sibling relationship. They are the only family each other have and therefore there is a strong desire for them to grow up together and not be separated.
The five-year-old boy has some developmental delays which we anticipate will impact him throughout his childhood, he would benefit from patient, nurturing carers who can help him reach his full potential. His older sister is protective of her younger brother and finds it challenging to let go of these caring responsibilities. She struggles to enjoy her interests of reading, drawing because of the challenges she has faced so far in life.
The appeal comes at a time when the UK is facing a critical shortage of foster carers. Around 100 children enter care every day, yet there are simply not enough foster families available. As a result, many brothers and sisters are separated because there is no suitable foster home that can accommodate them together.
Kate Patel, Head of Fostering and Adoption at Diagrama Fostering, said: “These two young children have one simple wish, to stay together in a loving home where they can feel safe, go to school, make friends, enjoy after-school clubs and just be children. They have already experienced significant change in their young lives and being able to remain together would provide them with comfort, reassurance and a sense of belonging at a time when they need it most.
“We urgently need more people to come forward and consider fostering. Every day around 100 children enter the care system, and sadly there are not enough foster carers to meet the growing demand. Keeping siblings together whenever it is safe and appropriate is incredibly important, as they are often each other’s greatest source of comfort.
“Many people dismiss the idea of fostering because they think they wouldn’t be suitable, but if you have a spare bedroom, patience, compassion and a desire to make a difference, you could provide the stable, nurturing home so desperately needed by so many children. You won’t be on your own, fostering is a professional, paid role, and we provide comprehensive training, ongoing support and a dedicated social worker every step of the way.”
Diagrama Fostering finds homes for the children who have waited the longest and sadly there are too many children who have been waiting too long.
Diagrama welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, whether single, married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner. Previous experience of caring for children is not essential, as full training and continuous support are provided throughout every stage of the fostering journey.
Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer with Diagrama Fostering is encouraged to get in touch for an informal, no-obligation conversation or to attend an online information session. By opening your home, you could help keep brothers and sisters together and give vulnerable children the safe, loving home they deserve, while making a lasting difference to their future.
To find out more about fostering with Diagrama Fostering visit www.diagramafostering.org.uk or to book a place on a free information session visitwww.diagramafostering.org.uk/events
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For this sibling placement, prospective foster carers will need two spare bedrooms, allowing each child to have their own space while remaining together under the same roof.
About Diagrama Fostering:
Diagrama Fostering is an independent, not-for-profit fostering agency that provides a supportive environment for “looked after” children across London, Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
Every day, around 100 children enter the UK care system and Diagrama Fostering works tirelessly to find safe, loving homes for those children who have waited the longest. Their dedication ensures that vulnerable young people receive the care and support they deserve.
The Diagrama Fostering Agency is small enough to offer a personalised fostering experience while benefitting from the expertise and security that comes with being part of the larger Diagrama charitable foundation.
Diagrama foster carers are rewarded with a generous benefits package, 24/7 support, additional payments, holiday cover and a free training and appraisal programme to develop new skills.
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About Diagrama Foundation
Diagrama Foundation is a Kent based charity that supports vulnerable children, young people, and adults to live their best life.
Diagrama has a Supported Living Service across Bromley and Mid Sussex, three homes for adults with learning disabilities in Orpington, an eight-bed care home for adults with learning disabilities in West Sussex a fifty-bed care home for the elderly with nursing and dementia needs in Essex, and a fostering and adoption service in the southeast.
- The Supported Living Service, cares for 33 adults with learning disabilities, in seven schemes across Bromley and one scheme in Mid Sussex helping them to develop skills and confidence to live in their own house either on their own or with others.
- At Cabrini House in Orpington the charity promotes the development of core skills for 23 adults with learning disabilities so that they can lead independent lives integrated within their community.
- Duckyls Farm, a 100acre care home in West Sussex for residents with learning disabilities, allows the charity to explore the physical, mental and social benefits that working with animals and in nature can offer to people with a learning disability.
- Diagrama Community Services at Duckyls Farm is a day care provision for people with a learning disability, physical and sensory impairment, acquired brain injury and/or autism.
- The team at their nursing and dementia care home, Edensor Care Centre in Clacton on Sea, support vulnerable residents to live life to the full.
- Diagrama’s voluntary adoption agency and not-for-profit fostering service cares for children in London, Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
Many vulnerable children and adults don’t get the support they need to develop their true potential, but the Diagrama team know that when someone has time and belief invested in them, they come alive, because that investment has made them feel valued and worthy.
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