Fife Council is celebrating our foster carers, the ordinary things they do every day that make an extraordinary difference, and the support from us and friendships they have with one another that make fostering so rewarding at our annual Fife Foster Carers Conference.

Over 70 of the council's carers attended the event on Thursday 27 August.

Our foster carers got to enjoy workshops and a wellbeing marketplace to help them look after themselves, featuring wellbeing-focused services, foster carer-led support groups, therapy dogs, and therapy taster sessions.

Our foster carers also got to hear about the support groups Fife Council's Fostering and Permanence Resource Teams run for carers, including the Men's group for male carers, New Carers Group, Permanence Support Group, and Teenage Support Group.

Debbie Adamson, Family Based Care Service Manager, said: "All of our foster carers are incredible people and deserve to be recognised and thanked for their continuing care, support and commitment to Fife's children and young people. They do ordinary things every day that make the most extraordinary difference in children's lives.

"We work closely with our carers and take great efforts to make sure we listen to them. Their input and first-hand experience help us to shape our offerings to all our dedicated foster carers, like our Team structure, their fees, and support we can offer them.

"Foster care can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. Too many people worry they can't be foster carers for one reason or another, but they really can. Anyone can as long as they're over 21, have a spare bedroom and are ready to help Fife kids enjoy their childhoods in a safe home.

"So, you can foster if you are single, in a relationship, any gender or sexual orientation, have children of your own, rent or own your own home, have pets, are retired, or already have another job. We need all sorts of people to become full or part-time foster carers. You being you is perfect."

Learn more about fostering for Fife Council and join our fostering family at Foster Fife.

You can also join our monthly webinars on the last Tuesday of each month or pop along to Cupar or Duloch libraries on the first Tuesday of each month to have a chat with one of our team: https://foster.fife.scot/events