When a child is taken into foster care, they might feel scared and anxious. They don鈥檛 know where they are going to go, and who they are going to be living with.
While those anxieties and fears can鈥檛 be completely eradicated, over the last five years Foster Wales has introduced a number of measures to ensure that children feel safe, reassured and welcome by their foster carers.
The Big Welcome online portal was launched in 2025, and it was created as a way for foster families to virtually introduce themselves to a new child before they join their household.
Through an interactive web profile, they can share information 鈥� and photos 鈥� of family members, pets, the home itself, and even the local area with children coming into their care.
With the help of the Big Welcome web portal, children and young people can look through the profile of a foster carer before they meet them. The simple but powerful tool flips uncertainty on its head, turning it into excitement.
762 foster carers in Wales now have a Big Welcome online portal.
Foster Wales was set up in 2021 as the not-for-profit collaboration of local authority fostering services across Wales. On July 15th the network of local authorities is celebrating its fifth birthday.
Foster Wales was set up to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers in Wales as well as ensure that as many children as possible can stay in their own local community when it鈥檚 right for them.
In the last five years, 84% of children fostered through local authority services in Wales have stayed local, compared with just 32% in independent fostering agencies.
Since its inception, 704 new foster carers have been recruited with Foster Wales, who are supported with regular in-person community events, training sessions and peer to peer support.
Michelle Griffiths, Service Manager - Children's Services at 麻豆视频 Council said:
鈥淲e are so proud of the work that Foster Wales 麻豆视频 has achieved for children in the last five years. We have witnessed firsthand the real benefit that the Big Welcome online portal has had for children who are joining a new foster family. Something so small can mean so much. At Foster Wales 麻豆视频 we are committed to supporting our foster carers through every part of their fostering journey and we can鈥檛 wait to build on the last five years of achievements.鈥�
To find out more about becoming a foster carer in Wales, visit fosterwales.gov.wales.