Manx Care’s family placement service is looking for people who can spare a few days or weeks at a time to support foster carers/parents by taking care of children for ‘short breaks’.

The team is extending foster carer recruitment to encourage people who want to foster, but who may not have the time or ability to do this on a 24/7 basis.

A Manx Care spokesperson said: ‘You could join our fabulous group of foster carers in changing the lives of children on the Isle of Man, by supporting a child in your home, even for a few days or weeks.

‘Short-term care arrangements may be needed if, for example, other carers have medical issues to attend to and need to plan a short break.

‘There are also many children with additional needs who are supported by the family placement service, and their parents may need a short break (either regularly or in an emergency).

‘Supporting parents and carers in this way can mean the difference between a happy long-term outcome and a serious crisis.

‘Short breaks in circumstances such as these can be vital for the whole family. Siblings value this special time with Mum or Dad in an uninterrupted way, and this support could be much-needed, for instance during university visits for other siblings.

‘A wider pool of foster carers would enable fostering services to be able to match the needs of each child more closely with the skills that each foster carer brings, and to find the right homes for the children who need our support.’

Ed Coates, fostering and adoption group manager added: ‘Our foster carers come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a wide range of life and work experiences with them.

‘They are the backbone of our service, and make a huge contribution by opening their homes and building trusting relationships with children, young people and often their families.

‘We really appreciate the work they do, and the legacy they are creating for a new generation of young people in the island. The common thread is they all need that extra bit of support and stability.

‘As a short break carer, you may be in full or part-time employment, but will need to be able to provide some time either on a regular or planned basis.

‘Anyone seriously interested in fostering will have lots of questions and this is the perfect opportunity to have a chat with us and find out more.’

You can also phone 610000 or email [email protected] to find out more, or to express an interest in short break/foster care.

More information is also available on the family placement service’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fpsiom