National award for Buckinghamshire foster carers

Juliet and Charlie Cleverdon, foster carers from Calvert Green in Buckinghamshire, have been presented with the Outstanding Contribution by a Foster Carer Award, supported by Endsleigh Insurance, at The Fostering Network’s Fostering Excellence Awards. The award celebrates their extraordinary contribution to foster care during the last 12 months.

Foster carers, children and young people, and people from throughout the fostering community from across the UK joined Juliet and Charlie in attending the annual celebration of fostering hosted by television star Holly Willoughby, and attended by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.

Juliet and Charlie Cleverdon have made fostering a life-long commitment. They have been foster carers for 30 years and have fostered over 30 children, all of whom have had a learning disability and mild physical disability. In addition to fostering four children, they also have three care leavers living with them. Juliet and Charlie also offer advice and support to other foster carers, encouraging new carers to attend support groups, training and other fostering events.

Juliet said: “It’s wonderful to receive this award and attend such a lovely evening. We just love every bit about fostering and I don’t know what we would do without it. That’s the life we have chosen and we would do it all again.”

Charlie said: “We thoroughly enjoyed the evening; it was a very special event for us. Juliet and I support each other to do this, we work as a partnership. We love it and 30 years later, we wouldn’t change a thing.”

Lin Hazell, Cabinet Member for Children Services said: “This is fantastic news and I am so pleased to see the good work that Juliet and Charlie have done for us, be recognised. They thoroughly deserve this. Their commitment to fostering has been outstanding!

“We have over 430 children in care in Buckinghamshire and we need more foster carers like Juliet and Charlie. If anyone is interested in fostering I would encourage them to get in touch with us today.”

Lyn, the couple’s fostering team manager who nominated them for the award, said: “Juliet and Charlie are one in a million, with hearts of gold!”

Kevin Williams, chief executive of The Fostering Network, said: “Without the dedication of foster carers, many children would not have the opportunities that they now have. Juliet and Charlie have worked tremendously hard over the past year to ensure that the fostered children of Buckinghamshire know how much they’re cared about by everyone in the fostering community.”

The event was held last night at BMA House, London. This national award was given to four carers – Juliet and Charlie who are from Buckinghamshire as well asJanice Jinks and Linda Parrish.

To find out more about fostering contact:

First Step Team

W – www.buckscc.gov.uk/fostering

E – firststep@buckscc.gov.uk

T – 0800 160 1900

Find out more about The Fostering Network’s Fostering Excellence Awards https://www.fostering.net/policy-and-campaigns/fostering-excellence-awards/winners#j-c-cleverdon