Fostering: Sheffield Council gives staff extra leave for fostering

Sheffield Council said more foster carers were needed as 675 children in the city were currently in care

Council staff in Sheffield will be given up to five extra days' leave if they foster a child in a bid to home more children.

Sheffield council said 675 children were currently in care in the city.

It said its new "Fostering Friendly Employer" policy aimed to set an example for other employers to follow.

The council said it wanted to "make fostering as easy as possible so more employees... provide much-needed loving homes for children across the city".

Councillor Jayne Dunn told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Foster carers play a vital role in our society and make a huge difference to the lives of our children in care.

"Many foster carers also have other jobs and being a supportive employer is so important with helping to balance working with looking after children."

'Build a bond'

Leyla Yilmaz, who works with children and young people at the council, recently registered as a foster carer when she and her partner realised they had the "time and space to support and build a bond with a young person".

"During the pandemic my partner and I had a lot of conversations about what we wanted our lives to look like," Ms Yilmaz said.

"I'd previously looked after young people and thought then if I was ever in a position to become a foster carer I'd like to."

She said the extra leave would be "a great help" and offer more opportunities to take in a young person at short notice and planning days out to help them settle in.

She said people also needed time for themselves, because "you need to look after yourself to be able to look after other people".

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