Grŵp Llandrillo Menai partners with Foster Wales to support foster carers

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai (@LlandrilloMenai) is proud to announce a new and exciting partnership with Maethu Cymru/Foster Wales, the national network of local authority fostering services, promoting their commitment to supporting foster carers and the children they care for and improving support for their own employees at the same time. 

This Foster Care Fortnight, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, the largest college in Wales, has announced it will commit to supporting its employees who also provide foster care for the not-for-profit sector, offering additional paid holidays. This will provide foster carers with greater flexibility to respond to any emergencies that may arise with fostering.

With more than 5,000 children currently in foster care in Wales, employers are being called upon to offer foster carers the flexibility to combine fostering with other work.

According to the National Fostering Network, nearly 40 per cent of foster carers combine fostering with other work. Having a supportive employer can make a world of difference to fostering families, enabling them to balance employment with fostering children. 

Support from their employer also helps those interested in fostering to take that first step.

Jamie Clegg, HR Director, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai said:

“Grŵp Llandrillo Menai is driven to improving people’s futures. There is no better way to achieve this than to support those who give their time to help others who need it most, by providing a home and support when it is needed most. Fostering provides safety for children and enables birth parents the opportunity to get the help they need.”   

One foster carer who works for the Grŵp said:

“Working for GLLM and being a foster carer, greater flexiblity means I don’t need to worry about work on top of everything else when emergencies arise with my foster children.”

Meinir Llwyd Bebb, Regional Marketing Officer for Maethu Cymru North Wales, added:

“We are extremely proud of this new partnership with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and thank them for their commitment to supporting local authority foster care in North Wales.

“As the need for foster carers continues to grow, reaching out to local employers to be fostering friendly is one of many things we are doing to support our foster carers in North Wales.

“We know when children stay connected, stay local and have someone to support them for the long term, we see better results. So, if employers in Wales can support their employees to become foster carers, local authorities can help more children stay connected to their roots and ultimately support them towards a better future.”

Foster Wales has set out with the bold aim of recruiting over 800 new foster families by 2026, to provide welcoming homes for local children and young people.