Fostering - District Marketing Packs

Dear Councillor

As you may know, there is currently a national urgency surrounding fostering and the fact that we simply do not have enough foster carers to support the rising numbers of children and young people in care.

To promote Gloucestershire County Council’s Fostering Service, and to raise the profile of fostering in general, we have created ‘district marketing packs’, in the hopes that local foster carers, staff and councillors like yourself, will be able to use these materials at a variety of local events. We know that prospective foster carers need several touch points before they make their initial enquiry to become foster carers with their local authority, and precise, community-focused marketing is one of the best ways to begin these conversations.

As a Councillor, you advocate for your local community, and you help bridge the gap between Gloucestershire County Council and the people within your constituency. We recognise the invaluable role you play to support and improve the quality of life for your local community, ensuring that their voices are recognised by the council. You are one of our key advocates for raising the profile of fostering in your local community.

The district packs contain:

·         Leaflets

·         Information packs

·         A pull up banner (personalised per district)

·         Contact forms

·         Fridge magnets

·         GCC branded pens and sticky notes

·         Tablecloth

We’d like to encourage you to become fostering ambassadors, and to regularly use your district pack. Perhaps you’re attending a community event, or you have an upcoming Councillor Surgery? Might there be an opportunity for you to speak about the changes people can make to the lives of local children? Maybe you have a close working relationship with local businesses and are able to ask them to display our literature in their staff rooms, or on their public notice boards.

The packs are being distributed to the 6 different districts in Gloucestershire during May 2024. We will let you know via the Members Matter Newsletter where the pack is for your district and how you can access it.

In the meantime. we have put together a handy checklist of 5 things you can do as a Councillor to help recruit more foster carers for Gloucestershire County Council.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Tammy

Tammy Wheatley

Head of Service