DEDICATED foster parents from Harlow have been recognised at a special awards ceremony for their hard work caring for the most vulnerable children across the county.

Mick Davis who has been fostering for 12 years won ‘Outstanding Work with Birth Families’ for his support of nurturing relationships with the birth family of one of his foster children.

Mick said: “I am so pleased to have been recognised for the work with foster children and their birth families. It’s been so inspiring watching all the foster carers be recognised.”

“I have been fostering for 12 years nurturing those I foster and their birth families to ensure those relationships continue to grow and develop.”

There are over 1,000 children in care in Essex and this number has been increasing for the past two years. In addition, the rate of children leaving care has slowed down, bringing into sharp focus the need to recruit more foster carers for children of all ages, siblings and children with disabilities.

Cllr Beverley Egan, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Early Years, said: “We are delighted to have been able to host this awards ceremony recognising the tremendous work our foster carers do in the county. We’ve heard how rewarding fostering can be and the difference foster carers make to the lives of young people.

“With the support of Essex County Council, we are helping foster carers enable our young people to thrive and to prepare them for independent living. We encourage anyone considering fostering to contact us and to find out more.”

Mick, Dyan, David, Jo and Jose all want to encourage people thinking about fostering to give Essex County Council a call or go to an information event to find out more information.

Mick said: “I wished I had started fostering sooner, but thought age was a barrier. When I investigated, I realised you can foster at any age. Just give fostering a go, you can make a difference to a child’s life even if they’ve had a difficult upbringing.”