On Tuesday 27 August, Brighton & Hove Albion helped to promote local fostering services to over 19,000 football fans at the second round of the Carabao Cup at the Amex Stadium.
A group of more than 100 foster carers and care-experienced children and young people from across Brighton & Hove and West Sussex attended the Sussex Derby match against Crawley Town.
At half time, a pitch-side interview was held with Mark Hendon, a foster carer from Brighton & Hove, alongside Kelly Wilkes, Head of Fostering for West Sussex County Council.
The idea is to use the reach of Brighton & Hove Albion’s players and fans to raise awareness about the urgent need for more foster carers in the local area and the vital role foster carers play in our community.
As well as the pitch-side interview, posters with information about fostering were displayed in the stadium and on the big screens and an article about fostering in Brighton & Hove was included in the match programme.
Councillor Emma Daniel, cabinet member for Children, Families and Youth Services, said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to Brighton & Hove Albion for their invaluable support which has helped us raise awareness of local fostering services to an enormous audience.
“Foster carers provide our city’s most vulnerable children and young people with the care and support they need, helping to build their confidence and make them feel safe and secure in a loving and stable home.
“We're always looking to grow our network of foster carers, so we hope that this collaboration will encourage more people to consider joining our fostering community to make a difference to the lives of local young people.”
Richard Valder-Davis, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Head of Safeguarding and Academy Player Care, said: “It was great to welcome so many people from the foster care service to raise awareness of the important work they do and the urgent need to find more foster carers for the local community.
“I would urge any of our supporters who are interested to get in touch with the foster care service.”
Foster carers play a vital role in improving the lives of care-experienced children and young people in Brighton & Hove. They also bring communities together to help support our most vulnerable children.
Learn more about fostering in Brighton & Hove.
Earlier this year we joined up with councils from across the south east to create the country’s largest local authority fostering partnership, in a bid to increase the number of foster carers across the region.
With over 11,000 children in care across the south east, and fewer than 3,000 local authority approved foster carers, there is an urgent need to recruit more people to provide safe, loving, and local homes for vulnerable children.
