Who will be our Foster Carer of the Year? You decide!

Anyone who chooses to foster is a winner in our eyes but we want to ensure that the hard work and commitment of all our foster carers is fully recognised and rewarded.

That is why we are once again holding our annual awards evening for Buckinghamshire County Council foster carers but this year, for the first time, we need your help to decide on the winner in one of the categories.

Six individuals/couples have been shortlisted in the Bucks Foster Carer of the Year award category and you can decide who you think should win by checking out the short videos and scripts on our website and then voting for your favourite – it couldn’t be easier.

From a couple who became foster carers to help keep their family together to those who’ve taken on challenging placements from the outset; from a father who stepped up to help his son’s friend to others who have fully embraced fostering and gone out of their way to help dozens of children and young people in the process; their stories are all inspiring and well worth a read/watch.

The public votes will be counted and the winner will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place on Friday 8 September. Other awards on the night will include Outstanding Contribution to Fostering, Commitment to Caring for Children with Disabilities, Children & Young People’s Award (voted for by children and young people) and Best Newcomer.

Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “We are eternally grateful to our foster carers for the fantastic job they do in helping us look after children and young people in care. These awards are a great way of saying thank you and showing how much we appreciate the work that they do.

“I would urge everyone to take a minute to look at the shortlist and to vote for who you think is the most worthy winner. Their stories illustrate that foster carers come from all sorts of walks of life and have a range of different experience but they have all embraced fostering into their lives and have helped and continue to help hundreds of children across Buckinghamshire – they are truly inspirational.”

To vote in the awards visit our website: www.buckscc.gov.uk/fosteringawards