SOUTHAMPTON foster carers are calling for more people to take action as children are forced to leave the city.

Andy Maxwell from Nursling has been a foster parent for over six "wonderful" years and is now urging more people to become caregivers. 

Earlier this year it was revealed that more than 200 Southampton children in care are living outside of the city due to a lack of foster families.

There are currently over 500 children cared for by Southampton City Council and just over 140 approved fostering households in Southampton. 

Andy said that he had not seen such "low numbers" of fosterers and hopes more people will help children stay in the city.

READ MORE: Available fostering places in England down by 23% in four years – Ofsted

The 52-year-old DJ said: "I know this will sound corny but we are the luckiest people alive. My wife and I are a team in this and we love children.

"Our friends were fosterers and we both wanted to get into it ourselves so we talked with our three daughters about it and decided to go for it.

"We called the council and within 24 hours we had someone around our house to talk with us about the process and to see if we were suitable. 

"At the beginning, our youngest said that we should only have babies so we did all the training and about six months later we had our first foster [child].

"Since then we have had over 20 children in our care.

"Our most recent that has just left us was an eight-month-old and we fall in love with every child that comes through our doors.

"We've stayed in touch with a lot of the children that have been with us. We send birthday cards and we are currently planning a big meet-up with them.

"We've done more training and now take on children and young teens. Every child comes into the system it can be for a whole list of different reasons.

"They need love and security and we make a big difference in the children's lives."

Andy is also a member of the Southampton Foster Carers' Association and said that they are "one big family" by connecting fellow caregivers.

He said: "Through the council, we have had a lot of online training to help us be better child carers and teach us what to do for all the different kids.

"We have also met lots of fantastic foster parents and help teach future fosters when they begin their journey.

"When I started you had nearly 30 people learning how to become foster parents.

"Obviously some people drop out but the number starting the process has gone right down.

"It is a fantastic opportunity and is life-changing. I couldn't recommend it more."

Helen Field, fostering service lead at Southampton City Council said: "Fostering with Southampton City Council is incredibly rewarding.

"Our foster carers have formed a wonderful fostering community in the city and understand the importance of children and young people remaining part of their local communities. 

"For most children, it is better for them to live in Southampton so that they can continue to attend their school, spend time with friends and family and see familiar faces regularly.

"We urgently need more foster carers to join our fostering community to provide a safe and caring home for Southampton children who, for a variety of reasons, are not able to live within their own family.

"Whether you’re a family with your own children, a single person or a couple, you can foster.

"Our foster carers come from all walks of life and are all supported by a professional network to help them respond to the needs of the child they are looking after, whether it’s for a weekend, a month or for their whole childhood.

"We’d encourage anyone who would like to find out more to get in touch with our friendly fostering team who can talk you through the process and support you on your way to becoming one of our wonderful foster carers.”

For more information, visit www.southampton.gov.uk/health-social-care/children/fostering/become-a-foster-carer/

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