Nursing at St Helens: Make a lasting difference in a child’s life

Each and every one of them deserves the best possible start in life and as a Council we demand the same for the people in our care as we do for our own children.

To make this possible, foster parents are crucial.

‘We need more’

There are currently 194 foster parents in our district and we need more.

To highlight this urgent need, last week we launched the Foster Fest campaign to try and encourage more people to consider foster care.

The campaign included a series of videos posted on the Council’s social media channels to promote the benefits of care, with first-hand accounts from caregivers themselves.

Members of the council’s care team have also been to various locations in the district, including libraries, recreation centers and supermarkets, to share more information on how rewarding care is.

The famous Steve Prescott Bridge was lit up in orange all week and readers may also have noticed the large banners on the Linkway near Tesco and Saints.

Amazing foster parents

We also held a celebration to recognize the amazing foster parents already registered with St Helens Council who are making such a big difference in the lives of so many children every day.

If you think you can care for a foster child, please consider doing so – you could make a lasting difference in a child’s life.

Visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/fostering today to learn more.

The demand for childcare has increased tremendously in recent years and we are on the way to improving our services.

We recently received a surveillance inspection from Ofsted and I am pleased to say that the inspectors have made it clear that there have been improvements in a number of areas of care.

I would like to thank all of our Childcare staff, Head of Childcare Hilary Brooks and my Cabinet colleague Cllr Nova Charlton for their hard work.

There is still more work to be done and we will continue our efforts and refine our improvement plans to focus on areas where we still need to get better.

Best wishes to all Star readers.

This is a difficult time for many of us. If you need help with your bills, housing, health and wellbeing or anything else please visit www.sthelens/gov.uk/sthelenstogether for the latest advice and information.