Isle of Man fostering service in recruitment drive
A series of sessions is being held in the Isle of Man to increase the pool of officially registered foster carers.
The aim is to find between 10 and 20 new homes to help meet demand as established carers either retire or take on long-term placements.
It is hoped the drive will provide a more diverse range of homes to match children's individual needs.
"We are looking for people who don't give up easily," said Nigel Howard, of Fostering First.
"People need to be good with children and resilient because there will be trying times.
"They should be over 21-years of age and able to work with professionals like social workers and therapists".
'Make an attachment'
Out of a total child population of about 17,000, the Isle of Man has more than 90 children in care.
Forty six of those children (about 50%) are currently in foster placements.
One of the government's long-term aims is to increase that percentage to bring it in line with the UK.
Head of Safeguarding at Social Care, Deborah Brayshaw said: "We are striving for a 75% foster care and 25% residential care spilt, as in the UK.
"At the moment we have about 50% in foster care and and 36% in residential - the remainder are placed with family or friends."
"We want to place more children with families where they can make an attachment - research tells us this is the best option but there will always be a small number of children who need residential provision."
More information about the fostering drop in sessions can be found online.