Fostering Friendly Employer Scheme
Become a Fostering Friendly Employer and help support Cumbria`s looked after children
Our carers have an important role and need to be available to attend training and meetings about the child's care. A supportive and flexible employer will enable foster carers to balance their work and caring responsibilities.
As a Cumbrian employer your support could make a difference.
The scheme gives local businesses the opportunity to support our work to recruit more foster carers, and Cumbria's most vulnerable children and young people, by making some simple changes:
- recognising the needs of foster carers in your employment policies
- helping us celebrate fostering and foster carers
This is not one size fits all, our aim is that employers consider the needs of foster carers and do what they can to help. Be that giving time off for training, allowing swapping of shifts or sharing information on foster caring
In recognition of your support we will help raise the profile of your business's commitment to Cumbrian children through our media partner CN Group and at events and in council publications.
For further information please contact the Communications Team at media@cumbria.gov.uk and download the Become a fostering friendly employer (PDF 2MB).
List of companies that have signed up to the initiative:
Welcoming Allerdale Borough Council's initiative to offer new foster parents additional time off, Chief Executive, Ian Frost, said:
"Allerdale Borough Council as a responsible employer has committed to providing an additional five days paid leave to employees that become foster parents. The fostering process is rightly rigorous and time consuming with various training and assessments needed to take place prior to being accepted. We therefore recognise the commitment it takes to become a foster parent and are willing to do what we can to encourage and support any staff taking on this valuable role."
Cllr Dave Pidduck, the Leader of Barrow Borough Council, said:
"We're proud to be able to support Cumbria County Council's Fostering Friendly Employer scheme which recognises the importance of foster carers and the support they provide to some of Cumbria's most vulnerable children and young people.
"When, many years ago, my wife and I adopted our daughter, I was very fortunate that the college where I worked gave me time off to go for interviews when I needed to. I really appreciated that support, which made it a little bit easier for us and gave us a little less to worry about during the adoption process, which is why I know from my own experience that it is important for us as a council to support those who foster and those wish to be involved."
BEC Chief Executive Officer, Michael Pemberton, stated how proud he felt to be able to support our Fostering Friendly Employer scheme, which recognises the importance of foster carers and the support they provide to some of Cumbria's most vulnerable children and young people.
Mr Pemberton said: "As a company, BEC are committed to providing our employees with the right environment for a good work life balance. Understanding the need for our employees to have flexibility to allow for career development whilst managing the demands of family life."
Leader of the council Colin Glover said: "Foster carers play a vital role in providing a safe, secure and stable environment for children or young people.
"To help our employees with this responsibility Carlisle City Council has registered as a foster- friendly employer. "This means we are committed to celebrating fostering and foster carers, and recognise their needs. We aim to give carers support and flexibility to balance their work and caring responsibilities."
Business Operations Manager Nigel Dickinson said
"We are delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile campaign which recognises the crucial part that foster parents play in ensuring young people get the best start in life. We know how important it is for local businesses to be Fostering Friendly and as a club we are always looking for ways to support the local community."
Councillor Gillian Troughton, Copeland Borough Council's portfolio holder for Finance and HR said,
"We are pleased to sign up to this campaign, which recognises the crucial work that foster parents play in ensuring that children and young people get the best possible start in life, in sometimes quite difficult circumstances.
"We are keen to do all that we can, like many other public and private sector organisations, to support foster parents in undertaking their role and to encourage those who think fostering might be for them, to find out more."
As a Chamber we're delighted to be able to support Cumbria County Council's fostering friendly employer scheme not only by signing up but also encouraging other businesses to take a look and get involved. Being a foster carer is extremely rewarding and worthwhile but also hard work at times, so it's important as employers, and more widely the local business community, to support the vital work they do to offer young people in Cumbria a better, more secure life.
Michelle Skeer, Assistant Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary, said:
"We fully support the County Council's drive to recruit more foster carers and their Fostering Friendly Employer scheme. As a force we are always looking for ways in which we can help support the community. Every child deserves the chance to grow up in a loving and caring environment and we are happy to support Officers or Staff that want to take the step to become foster carers."
Cumbria Law Centre exists to make sure that low-income members of our community receive fair treatment from landlords, lenders, employers and public bodies. We are reminded every day that the start children get in life can have a huge impact on the quality of their futures. Times are getting harder, support services are being reduced and the role of foster carers has probably never been more important. It seems entirely obvious that as an employer we should support any member of staff who wishes to give his or her time, love and support to a child in need.
Eden District Council's Communities Portfolio Holder, Councillor Lissie Sharp said:
"As a council we recognise the important role foster carers have in caring for some of our most vulnerable children and so we are proud to support Cumbria County Council's Fostering Friendly Employer Scheme."
"We are pleased to support Cumbria County Council with their Foster Care Fortnight initiative, which raises awareness of the great work that foster families provide in the county. The Environment Agency fully supports flexible working for foster carers in the organisation and will ensure this support continues in the future."
Keith Ashcroft Environment Agency Deputy Director (Cumbria and Lancashire).
Sam Mason, Site Manager said " Our team at Go Ape Grizedale is delighted to support Cumbria's biggest family by joining the Fostering Friendly Employer scheme.
"We understand the important contribution foster carers make and we want to enable those who work with us to be able to balance their work with their responsibilities as a foster carer. Flexible working hours and the option to swap shifts allows family commitments to be met and also helps foster children settle in to their new home. We're also looking forward to giving the children who are in care the opportunity to live their lives adventurously!"
Dawn Moore, HR Director at Morgan Sindall, said:
"We're proud to be able to support Cumbria County Council's Fostering Friendly Employer scheme which recognises the importance of foster carers and the support they provide to some of Cumbria's most vulnerable children and young people.
"As a company, we're committed to providing our employees with the right environment for a good work life balance. We understand the need for employees to have flexibility to allow for career development whilst managing the demands of family life. Morgan Sindall's approach includes offering a range of options designed to support working families."
Morgan Sindall is a UK construction and infrastructure business with a network of local offices. The company works for private and public sector customers on projects and frameworks from £50,000 to over £1 billion. Activities range from small works and repair and maintenance, to the design and delivery of complex construction and engineering projects where it is able to provide specialist design, tunnelling, utilities, building, civil engineering and mechanical and electrical services. The company operates across the commercial, defence, education, energy, healthcare, industrial, leisure, retail, transport and water markets. Morgan Sindall is part of Morgan Sindall Group plc, a leading UK construction and regeneration group with revenue of c £2.6 billion and which operates through six divisions of Construction and Infrastructure, Fit Out, Property Services, Partnership Housing, Urban Regeneration and Investments.
Dawn Lowdon, People Manager at Morrisons Carlisle, said: "We are delighted to have been asked to join the list of Fostering Friendly Employers. As a store we have already had colleagues successfully go through the process to become foster carers and will continue to support them and any future colleagues who wish to foster."
Martin Walkingshaw, Chief Operating Officer of Nuclear Waste Services, said: "There is a huge requirement for foster carers, so we are delighted to do anything we can do to support our current carers, and perhaps encourage new ones.
"We're working closely with Cumbria County Council in this initial phase and the Nuclear Waste Services Management Board are committed to ensuring that all NWS employees across the UK have the support of the business if they choose fostering.
"This is an important life-decision, so when we have current and potential foster carers within our ranks, it's right that we implement policies to encourage them."
Graham Jenkins, Managing Director, Pioneer Foodservice said "We are delighted to support such a worthwhile campaign and recognize how important it is for local businesses to become FosteringFriendly."
Sellafield Ltd Stakeholder Relations Director, Rory O'Neill, said: "We decided to become a Fostering Friendly Employer because we understand what a huge difference carers can make to the lives of local children in foster care.
"We understand how important it is that Sellafield Ltd makes a significant impact in our local community so we are pleased to be able to support our employees who take on such rewarding and worthwhile roles in Cumbria."
"Westcom is a family run business and we are very pleased to be part of this initiative. We will do all we can to support any employees who are opening their homes and hearts to the most vulnerable in our society by becoming Foster Carers."
WESTCOM
Computing Solutions for West Cumbria
Lowther Road, Clay Flatts, Workington, CA14 2TQ
Tel 01900 870455, Fax 01900 872211
Shop opening hours - Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; Saturday, 9am to 12.30pm
Westcom website
Tom Robinson said "This is an excellent initiative which, as a family run business we are delighted to be involved in. It is so important that all the children in Cumbria can feel safe."
