Foster carers in Kent sought by charity Diagrama as demand for secure homes continues to rise

A Kent family is encouraging others to consider becoming foster carers as demand for safe and secure homes for children continues to surge as a result of the pandemic.

Parents Nic and Chris Kimmance from Ashford are hoping their story will prompt more people to consider fostering. Scroll down to watch their video story below.

The Kimmance family is encouraging others to foster
The Kimmance family is encouraging others to foster

The couple, who have been married for 16 years and have two daughters of their own, signed up as foster carers with charity Diagrama after having their own children.

Nic explained: “Our decision to become foster parents was years in the making. When we got married, we knew we wanted a family, but it was not happening for us, so we looked at fostering and adoption. Then I fell pregnant not once but twice and we had two beautiful girls.

"The idea of fostering went on to the back burner for many years, until I raised the idea with Chris again last year. The girls were very positive about the idea so together we moved forward. We were

accepted on to the Diagrama fostering programme and after comprehensive training and endless support, our first foster child was placed with us last year.”

The couple's daughters were under 10 when the family first explored fostering
The couple's daughters were under 10 when the family first explored fostering

In order to continue recruiting foster carers despite social distancing restrictions and the pandemic, Diagrama is currently hosting monthly information sessions virtually for families across London and the South East who think they may be interested in learning more about what's involved.

Chris Kimmance described his family's move as the 'best family decision'.

He added: “We chose to foster so that we could make a difference. Inviting another child into your home and allowing them to find some stability, come alive and begin to really thrive is the best family decision we have made, and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.”

Margaret Gardiner, fostering and adoption team manager, at Diagrama, said one of the 'side affects' of the pandemic is that her organisation is now receiving more referrals than ever for children who need safe and secure temporary placements.

She said: "We need to increase the number of children we can support and are looking to train new foster carers across London and the south east to help with this demand. If you are interested in finding out if fostering might be the right career choice for you, please do contact us or sign up for an online information event.”

Diagrama promises full support to successful candidates to prepare them for the fostering journey. To book a place on an online fostering information event click here. To find out more about Diagrama visit www.diagramafoundation.org.uk

Read more news from Ashford here.

For more family-related news from across Kent visit www.mykentfamily.co.uk

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