In three weeks’ time, children across Manchester will be tiptoeing off to bed, longing to hear the sound of sleigh bells.
As they drift off to sleep in their cosy new pyjamas, they’ll dream about the joyful magic the morning will bring, as they gleefully unbox the wonderful toys, trinkets and games they’ve wished for throughout the year.
But for some children, a perfect Christmas can’t be gifted in a neatly wrapped box, tied with a silky bow.
For more than 6,000 children and young people currently in foster care across Greater Manchester, a safe, happy and loving family home is the greatest gift Father Christmas could ever bring.
Sadly, there are just 1,500 registered fostering households in the region – nowhere near enough to accommodate the children longing for a loving place to call home this festive season and beyond.
This Christmas, all 10 local councils in Greater Manchester, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, are working hand-in-hand to inspire families to consider a future in fostering.
Their heartfelt campaign, Foster for Greater Manchester, hopes to inspire those who are curious about fostering to fully explore and consider all elements of the rewarding role by sharing real experiences from their growing community of local council foster carers and the dedicated teams that support them.
For Ilyas, a foster carer for Bolton Council, becoming a foster parent unlocked magical festive traditions. His family, who are Muslim, had never celebrated Christmas until they started fostering Christian children, and they have never looked back.
Ilyas, who has been a foster carer for more than 10 years, said: “Fostering at Christmas is quite good in our household!
“We have children of different faiths in our care, two are Christian children, so we started celebrating Christmas as well as Eid – they really do get the best of both worlds. It’s a magical time of year for the kids, they all look forward to Christmas presents, Father Christmas, the tree, the lights, and everything else.
“We all get together, and everyone brings presents for the children which is really special. One of my own birth children is in his late 30’s now, and he dresses up as Father Christmas for them, which they love.
“We do the full monty. We have Christmas dinner, crackers, the kids dress up and we throw parties. We really do make a big deal out of it for them. There’s nothing quite like seeing the kids’ faces light up on Christmas morning, and them enjoying themselves.”
Having fostered children from different walks of life in a fostering career spanning more than 10 years, Ilyas is sharing his own wonderful experiences in the hopes of inspiring other families to open their hearts and homes to a child in need.
“We’re so short on carers, so people really should consider fostering,” he said.
“Once you start fostering, you get so much self-satisfaction. You can make a real difference to a child’s life, what more do you want out of life?
“The satisfaction you get from fostering and giving another child the same chances as your own child, is incredible. I’d encourage anybody to foster, I think it’s absolutely brilliant.”
Pam, who is a registered foster carer for Stockport Council, has developed festive fostering traditions of her own.
Alongside her partner Robert, Pam has been fostering children in need of a loving home for more than 12 years, and is a part of the Mockingbird community – a pioneering programme delivered by The Fostering Network in partnership with 62 fostering services across the UK.
Pam said: “Fostering does come with its challenges and there are upsetting situations, but it has so many rewards and with the amount of support you have around you, there’s always somebody to help.
“At Christmas, we speak to the children about what traditions they had with their birth families, and always try to incorporate them into our own celebrations. We talk them through what will happen over Christmas, especially on Christmas Day, so they know what to expect.
“All of my foster children over the years have had their very own personalised tree decoration, so they had their own decoration to put on the tree, and we take them to parties and pantomimes in the run-up to Christmas to make the festivities as special as possible for them, which has made our Christmas even more special too.
“We once had three siblings come into our care in late November, as their carer was away over Christmas and New Year and we couldn’t bear to see the children being separated at Christmas.
“We all wore matching pyjamas on Christmas Eve, and they had Christmas Eve boxes provided by their carer, similar to the ones I had made for our own foster children. The children enjoyed the magic of sprinkling the reindeer dust, and we took them to see some of their birth family on Christmas Day.
“Fostering has its challenges, but it’s wonderful. Fostering with your local authority, and alongside the Mockingbird Family, really works. As a new carer, you’ll become part of an extended family of foster carers who understand. There’s always somebody in the hub who will have experienced a similar situation. Talking to others who understand really helps make you feel like you’re not alone.”
If you choose to become a foster carer for Greater Manchester, you’ll be supported every step of the way. From the initial application stage through to your assessment, through your training and even when you’re matched with your first foster child, the support never ends.
As well as support from your dedicated social worker, you can join Foster for Greater Manchester’s Facebook group, participate in community events and even sign up to a blog where likeminded foster carers share their own news and views on fostering.
Whatever your background, faith or age, wherever you work or live, whoever you love, you could help to shape a different, brighter future for children and young people in need of an open heart and loving home.
Fostering is flexible, and there are so many different ways that you could help make a difference to children’s lives. Whether you can offer just a couple of nights’ respite every month or provide a long-term home for a child or young person, whatever your current circumstances, fostering can fit into your life.
