FAMILIES are being urged to become foster carers after it was revealed that more than 400 children were referred for fostering in Gloucestershire in the past six months. 

Capstone Foster Care will be holding a fostering information evening at Gloucester Guildhall on Tuesday, February 28 between 4pm-7pm to allow residents to find out more.

Exactly 471 individual children and young people were referred to Capstone for fostering in Gloucestershire in the past 6 months, including 36 sibling groups.

Gloucestershire residents Clive and Bev became approved foster carers in 2013.

Clive said: "Like any new venture in life we are learning all the time.

“The varied training offered by Capstone has really helped us and gives the feeling that nothing is out of reach to help and support these young people.”

“Although it’s still early days for us, the fostering experience has been an enjoyable and positive one for us and hopefully also for the children we have cared for."

Steve Hunt, Regional Director at Capstone Foster Care, said: “Capstone Foster Care has been based and working across the whole of the South West for the past ten years and has a solid history of making sustainable foster placements where young people make excellent progress.

“We have worked with Gloucester County Council to provide a variety of placements for young people who they have not been able to find suitable families from within.”