“I class the CFT as my family, 100%. They’re like extended parents, extended aunties and uncles. Everything they’ve done for me has changed me for the better and helped me 100% in my life.” (former looked-after child)
A ‘Family for Life’
The Children’s Family Trust (CFT) was set up in 1945 after Paul Field set out on a mission to create a ‘Family for Life’. The campaign was first introduced to his own family by bringing other children into their home to offer care, then Paul encouraged his friends and others in the community to take on the care of children other than their own. As a result, several hundred children were cared for by the ‘Family for Life’ campaign and many of the ‘pioneering’ parents now have grandchildren and great grandchildren within their families.
The charity has now been providing foster placements for vulnerable children for well over 70 years and for every £1 of an income that comes into the trust,85p is reinvested into making sure children and their foster carers receive the right support.
CFT specialise in providing placements for sibling groups, ensuring that brothers and sisters can remain together and ensuring that a cohesive sense of family is preserved as far as possible whilst providing each individual child with equal opportunities for growth.
The charity’s main aim is to achieve stability and security for children; develop their talents and skills; achieve their potential educationally; enable them to make the best use of the opportunities available to them and support them in becoming independent well-rounded adults.
Could you foster a child?
From the 16th to the 29th May, it’s Foster Care Fortnight which aims to raise awareness of the committed support foster carers offer to children. In the UK, a child comes into the care system every 20 minutes and The Children’s Family Trust is working hard to ensure the safe welfare and opportunity for a better life for vulnerable children – providing safe homes for them and the right education and support for carers too.
To meet the demand of the number of children who will be in need of a foster home in the next 12 month, over 9,000 foster families need to be recruited.
Find more about fostering and how you can support The Children’s Family Trust here.
