Wolverhampton has officially thanked dozens of long-serving foster carers for the vital work they do looking after vulnerable children and young people in the city. The City of Wolverhampton Council's Fostering for Wolverhampton team recognised the long service of 29 foster carers at a ceremony at the Ramada Park Hall Hotel.

People are being encouraged to let fostering make their house a home in a new campaign. Fostering for Wolverhampton is hoping more households will take on this life-changing role in 2017 – and are encouraging people who are interested in fostering to attend a drop-in session to find out more.

Adoption in the Black Country & Adoption Focus, the new name for the regional adoption consortium is calling for more people to find out all about adoption by coming along to an information event on Valentine ’s Day at The Himley Country Hotel, near Dudley. Adoption in the Black Country & Adoption Focus will be using the event to break down some misconceptions about who can adopt, highlight the need for adopters for specific groups and help people start the adoption process, if they wish.

Adoption in the Black Country & Adoption Focus, the new name for the regional adoption consortium is calling for more people to consider changing a childs life forever in 2017 by finding out the facts on adoption at one of a series of information events around the region; to hopefully show what a difference they can make to a childs life by adopting them.

Love (87 per cent), listen (81 per cent), trust (76 per cent) and support (72 per cent) are qualities which children in the West Midlands say parents, guardians and carers should offer in order to provide a happy childhood, a new survey by Barnardo’s has found. The poll of over 1,000 British children aged eight to fifteen (1) also reveals that 78 per cent said having a parent or guardian that encourages or believes in them is important for a positive future when they are adults.

A special pilot event to match prospective foster carers with children in care has proved a success. A number of potential matches were confirmed following the Activity Days for Fostering session held by Fostering for Wolverhampton earlier this month, attended by 10 carers and 16 children aged between four and 14. It was organised with the help of CoramBAAF, the Adoption and Fostering Academy that supports agencies and professionals working with children and young people in care.