WITH the number of children needing care continuing to rise, a Bromsgrove fostering agency is encouraging residents to consider opening up their home to a foster child.

According to latest Department for Education figures released last week, the number of children across the country in care has risen at its fastest rate in five years.

72,670 children were in care in the 12 months to the end of March 2017, compared with 70,440 the year before and 69,480 in 2015.

To encourage fostering Bromsgrove’s Clifford House Fostering, on Worcester Road, has organised three open days in the upcoming months.

Manager Naomi Ebanks-Simpson said: “We are keen to talk to both new and existing carers who would have the capacity and desire to take care of children who need fostering.

“The danger is that with the number of children needing care continuing to rise, if more people don’t register across Worcestershire then local children will need to be placed further and further from home.

“We are committed to giving young people in Worcestershire the best possible start in life and often that means trying to keep them close to their families.

“There are a lot of myths around who can and who can’t foster relating to age, gender and sexuality. The truth of the matter is that to foster, the main requirements are that you want to help make a difference to a local child’s life.

“We are hoping to answer common fostering misconceptions through our open days. We hope that people will come along with an open mind, find out more information and go away with a more informed view of what fostering involves.”

The drop in sessions take place in their offices on Thursday, November 16, and Thursday, December 7 – both from 10am until 7pm.

For more information call 0800 3698515.