30th September 2024
Foster carers from across Northern Ireland gathered together at the weekend for the Northern Ireland Foster Care Awards, a ceremony co-hosted by HSC NI Foster Care and The Fostering Network.
Now in its eighteenth year, the Awards recognise the critical role foster carers have in providing stability, love and care for children and young people who are unable to live with their birth families. A number of HSC NI foster carers and kinship foster carers received special recognition for their outstanding contribution to fostering.
Kerrylee Weatherall, Interim Director of Children’s Community Services who represented HSC NI Foster Care at the event said: “The Foster Care Awards gives us an opportunity to celebrate our fostering community in Northern Ireland and recognise the contribution that foster carers make to the lives of our children and young people.
By providing safe and nurturing home environments, foster carers are helping to transform lives; giving children and young people a chance to build their confidence, develop their talents and be ambitious for their future. We hope this event goes some way to showing foster carers how much we value them, and appreciate the kindness and support they show children and young people every single day.”
Director of The Fostering Network Northern Ireland, Kathleen Toner, said: “It is a true honour to be able to recognise these incredible foster carers and kinship carers in this way. Every winner has gone above and beyond for the children and young people in their care, and I hope they are really proud of themselves.
“Being foster carers and kinship carers isn’t always easy, it’s a 24-hour job, so I would like to say thank you to the winners, and all foster and kinship carers, for their hard work and dedication. You are an integral part of our fostering communities and we are so grateful for the work you do.”
Gail and Stephen Hill from Belfast were awarded the ‘Excellence in Foster Care’ Award. The couple have been fostering for eight years. The first child they looked after, who they have now adopted, was just six weeks old. Since then, they have fostered 10 other children and are currently fostering a toddler and a baby.
Gail and Stephen say fostering is incredibly rewarding and one of the greatest joys is being able to return children to their birth families.
They are attuned to the needs of each child in their care. In one instance, a child was going to live with their grandparents, and Gail and Stephen were pillars of support to the family in the time leading up to their move. They invited the grandparents over to their home, showed them around Belfast and ensured a safe and smooth transition for the child.
For more information on fostering, Call HSC NI Foster Care on 0800 0720 137 or visit adoptionandfostercare.hscni.net