A recruitment drive for more foster carers on Wirral and across Merseyside is launched today (Saturday, May 25).

Foster4, a collaborative fostering recruitment hub in the North West, has been set up to find potential carers from a range of different backgrounds and circumstances in the region.

The hub is a collaboration between eight local authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside: Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Warrington and Wirral.

Foster4 say that with more than 4,600 children currently in care across the eight local authorities but just over 1150 approved local authority foster carers available, there is an urgent need to recruit new foster carers for the most vulnerable children in our region.

The hub is backed by the Department for Education and will be the first point of contact for prospective foster carers. It will then work with their enquiries and their local authority and will continue to provide support throughout the application process.

The aim is to recruit foster carers from a range of different backgrounds and circumstances in the region and will benefit from a new buddy mentoring scheme, linking prospective foster carers to experienced foster carers in their local area for further guidance and support through their assessment journey.

Foster4 is signed up to the Fostering Network’s Mockingbird programme which will see all eight local authorities benefit from the highly successful model that supports and retains foster carers effectively.

The foster care model sees a constellation of fostering households set up in a similar arrangement to that of an extended family, structured around the support and relationships that provides and is set to nurture relationships between cared for children, young people and fostering families by bringing together six to ten fostering families who act as an extended family for activities such as Sunday lunches, film nights, sleepovers and days out and also support each other like any other extended family.

Amanda Perraton, director of children’s services at Warrington Borough Council and chair of the Foster4 Board said: "There has been a decline in the number of foster carers across the country for a number of years now and we recognised that something needs to be done to encourage more people to foster.

"Becoming a foster carer is one of the biggest and most rewarding decisions someone can make, and many people don't realise they can foster and, as a result, don’t make the initial enquiry.

"We want to dispel myths around who is eligible to foster, to ensure we recruit a diverse range of foster carers for children and young people in Cheshire and Merseyside.

"For the first time, anyone considering fostering in Cheshire and Merseyside will benefit from a combined recruitment support hub, with help available every step of the way.

"Foster4 will provide necessary support to prospective foster carers when they need it most. We hope that by all working together with this new drive we can ensure children and young people in our region can experience a safe and loving home when they need it most.”

For more information about fostering on Merseyside go to www.foster4.co.uk or call 03456460098.