The Muslim Foster Network ran a series of events under the umbrella of the Foster Care Fortnight campaign which aims to raise awareness and promote fostering in the UK. MFN had announced that they officially held 21 events, that commenced from May 12th to 27th May in 8 different cities across the UK.
It is estimated that there is a pressing need for around 7,180 new foster families to be recruited to care for a diverse range of children, within the next 12 months. MFN aims to dispel myths and stereotypes surrounding fostering in Islam and create a better understanding of the process, experience and support network that is available to prospective foster carers.
A number of workshops have been organised in mosques in Greater London and in partnership with the National Zakat Centre. The workshops focus on different aspects of foster caring such as Islam and fostering, workshops dedicated to potential foster carers and becoming an independent visitor.
In addition to the workshops, MFN has also arranged a number of Jummah Khutbahs on fostering with talks from expert scholars on the topic who can give advice and guidance for those considering fostering. Thousands of Muslims across the UK will have an opportunity to listen to the Jummah Khutbah on Friday 18th May 2018 on the key theme of fostering in Islam.
The main underlying themes of the Foster Care Fortnight is to promote just how much fostering can transform a child’s life and how individuals can be part of that transformational change. Many celebrities and politicians are supporting the innovative initiative in conjunction with the Fostering Network UK to further encourage a diverse range of foster carers who can cater for the needs of a variety of children from around the world.
There are a number of foster children that have come into the UK as refugees or asylum seekers and are in need of a loving and stable home which can further enhance their future. There are many children who lack the support of a Muslim family environment and would like to reconnect with their faith and cultural heritage through being placed with compatible foster families.
However, due to the lack of Muslim foster carers, there are more children being placed in foster care that are unable to get the support to practice their faith and live a life which caters to their religious and cultural needs. It is hoped that through the efforts of MFN and the Foster Care Fortnight initiative, more individuals will come forward to provide a child with a chance to transform their lives.
