Dedicated foster parents from West Essex have been recognised at a special awards ceremony for their hard work caring for the most vulnerable children across the county.
“Fostering has tipped my world upside down. It’s taught me a lot about myself and made me realise what the important things are in life.” Foster carers from West Essex recognised at special awards ceremony
Dedicated foster parents from West Essex have been recognised at a special awards ceremony for their hard work caring for the most vulnerable children across the county.
Mick Davis who has been fostering for 12 years won ‘Outstanding Work with Birth Families’ for his support of nurturing relationships with the birth family of one of his foster children.
Mick said: “I am so pleased to have been recognised for the work with foster children and their birth families. It’s been so inspiring watching all the foster carers be recognised.”
“I have been fostering for 12 years nurturing those I foster and their birth families to ensure those relationships continue to grow and develop.”
Dyan and David Prior were awarded ‘Outstanding Support in Education’ for their tireless work to ensure their young people have the best education provision to give them security and emotional stability to help them reach their potential.
Dyan said: “This award is so lovely and I’m so pleased that I’ve championed and advocated for the young people I look after.
“We strongly believe in our foster children and with the support of Essex County Council and education providers, we’ve persevered to get our children the best they can have for themselves. Fostering is not for the faint hearted but the rewards are endless.”
Giuseppina (Jo) and Jose Anido-Tasende, who have been fostering for six years, received the award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the West Quadrant’. Over the past two years they have welcomed children needing a home in an emergency, even during lockdown. They also support other carers in the network and continue to offer emergency and respite care for children in need.
Jo said: “I feel so honoured to receive this award. Fostering is unpredictable, but it has brought a lot of good into my life and I help run the Oasis Hub which is a support network for foster carers which has been so rewarding.”
There are over 1,000 children in care in Essex and this number has been increasing for the past two years. In addition, the rate of children leaving care has slowed down, bringing into sharp focus the need to recruit more foster carers for children of all ages, siblings and children with disabilities.
Cllr Beverley Egan, Essex County Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Early Years, said: “We are delighted to have been able to host this awards ceremony recognising the tremendous work our foster carers do in the county. We’ve heard how rewarding fostering can be and the difference foster carers make to the lives of young people.
“With the support of Essex County Council, we are helping foster carers enable our young people to thrive and to prepare them for independent living. We encourage anyone considering fostering to contact us and to find out more.”
Mick, Dyan, David, Jo and Jose all want to encourage people thinking about fostering to give Essex County Council a call or go to an information event to find out more information.
Mick said: “I wished I had started fostering sooner, but thought age was a barrier. When I investigated, I realised you can foster at any age. Just give fostering a go, you can make a difference to a child’s life even if they’ve had a difficult upbringing.”
Dyan said: “If someone told me that I would end up with seven children, I wouldn’t have believed them. Fostering has tipped my world upside down. It’s taught me a lot about myself and made me realise what the important things are in life.”
Jo said: “When my kids grew up and left home, I was missing having young people around. I wasn’t ready to stop being a mum. If you’re thinking about fostering, just go for it. If you have a room to spare and patience to have a child who has experienced trauma, it’s very rewarding.”
Find out more by visiting: https://www.essexadoptionandfostering.co.uk/fostering.
The phone line is also open: 0800 801 530.
Pop along to one of our online events and find out more about fostering or visit: How to become a foster carer).