Black, Asian and Global Majority foster carers
We need more foster carers who have the same cultural or ethnic background as our children in care.
Why we need Black, Asian and Global Majority foster carers
With the current national shortage, and the proportion of children in care who are Black or mixed race, it is more important than ever that foster carers from diverse backgrounds step forward.
All children from Black, Asian, and Global Majority communities entering foster care deserve the opportunity to celebrate their history and cultural heritage, and they need foster carers with lived experience to help them develop a positive sense of their own identity. It is often more beneficial for a child’s stability and mental health to be placed with foster carers who share as many aspects of their culture, religion and ethnic origin as possible. Foster carers from Black, Asian, and Global Majority backgrounds are often better placed to empathise with birth parents' difficulties and help new families understand the importance of contact for identity and connection with culture.
In Brighton & Hove, there is a shortage of foster carers from Black, Asian and Global Majority backgrounds so it is not always possible to place children with foster carers who are a cultural match. If you are paired with a foster child who has a different cultural background to your own, you will be given extra support and training. We will help you to understand the child’s cultural background and work with you to celebrate who they are.
Our team meet regularly with local community groups in order to drive positive change, promote awareness and meet the critical need.
If you are part of a community group, or if you are looking to help children in need by fostering yourself, we would love to hear from you.
Mebrak Ghebreweldi, Vandu Languages founder
“I feel that any displaced child, or any child that comes from a family that cannot look after them, is the responsibility of the community, the whole community, not just one community, because at the end of the day we are all part of the human race and the child is the future of us all.”
Stella, foster carer
“We need more Black and mixed-race carers to step forward. The children need our input and expertise from experiences of race and racism, through to the simple things like skin and hair care.
Being a foster carer really is an amazing job, and I care because I know that we can give the children the safe, secure, happy early start to life they really deserve.”