News
Ready to Welcome: Our Fostering Emergency Bed Scheme
We are excited to announce the launch of Ready to Welcome, our Emergency Bed Scheme, on 15 April 2026. This innovative initiative ensures a dedicated carer is always available to provide immediate, short-term care for children and young people in an emergency, helping to prevent crisis situations. What is the Emergency Bed Scheme? The Ready…
Fostering Partnership with Chichester College Group gets national praise
Our West Sussex County Council Fostering Service has gained national recognition for its pioneering partnership with Chichester College Group, the first formal collaboration of its kind between a local authority fostering agency and a college group in the UK. The Fostering Network, the UK’s leading fostering charity, has commended the initiative and plans to use…
Introducing ‘Stayovers’ Care
Changing 'Respite' to 'Stayovers' ‘Respite’ has traditionally been the term used to describe the arrangement whereby a child living with a Foster Carer goes to stay with another carer, usually for a weekend. Following review and consultation with our young people and carers, it is clear that the term 'respite' can have negative connotations and…
Foster Care Fortnight – Celebrating The Power of Relationships
From 12-25 May, communities across the UK will be marking Foster Care Fortnight™, The Fostering Network's annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and show how foster care transforms lives. The theme for 2025 is The Power of Relationships - because at the heart of every fostering journey are the connections that make all…
Fostering film ‘Everything’ to inspire more Foster Carers
“What you do with your life can forever change someone else’s” That is the message of a new film, which raises awareness of the need for more people to step forwards and foster. West Sussex County Council is urgently seeking more foster carers to change a child’s life forever. Relationships that can last a lifetime …
Fostering West Sussex joins regional partnership to recruit more Foster Carers
West Sussex County Council has joined others from across the South East to create the country’s largest local authority fostering partnership, in a bid to increase the number of Foster Carers across the region. With over 11,000 children in care across the South East, and fewer than 3,000 local authority approved foster carers, there is…
