A new hub, which aims to recruit desperately needed foster carers across Cumbria and Lancashire, has been launched.

The Regional Fostering Recruitment and Retention Hub was created following a successful £1.2m regional bid lodged by Blackburn with Darwen Council, Blackpool Council, Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, and Lancashire County Council.

The initiative is called Foster With Us and it is the first port of call for individuals interested in fostering.

The purpose here is to give them the required information to let them make an informed decision about fostering and how it could work for them.

Foster With Us also has a team of fostering advisors on standby to assist every day of the week.

The team offer ongoing round-the-clock guidance at every stage of the application, which includes review and checks.

Another distinct feature of this initiative is the buddy scheme.

The scheme has regular check-ups with serving foster carers and young individuals across the region, and has a wide range of free training.

Foster With Us was created out of the Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy termed Stable Homes, Built on Love.

This strategy is a government response which sees an investment of £36 million for the purpose of boosting the numbers of foster carers throughout the country.

The goal is to have more foster carers on standby, ready to provide the correct home, at the right time, to children who have this need.

Sadly, there is not enough foster carers in the country despite the number of carers already listed.

Specifically, there's an urgent need for up to 760 more foster carers in the north west to cater to the record numbers of children entering the care system.

Currently, there are 152 children aged between zero and 18 spanned across the five local authority areas on the waiting list for foster homes with 19 of them being sibling groups waiting to be fostered together.

Foster With Us is also introducing the Mockingbird model, an evidenced-based system that nurtures the relationships between children, young people and foster families.

This model is led by The Fostering Network in the UK and it provides sustainable foster care.

Cllr Sue Sanderson, cabinet member for childrens services, education and skills at Westmorland and Furness Council, said: "We urgently need to recruit more foster carers for children across Cumbria and the new regional recruitment hub, Foster With Us, will help us to address the recruitment challenges our councils are currently facing".

Cllr Emma Williamson, executive member for children and family wellbeing at Cumberland Council, added: "For the first time, anyone considering fostering in the region will benefit from a unified support hub for prospective foster carers, with help available every step of the way."

She also said: "Foster With Us has been launched to provide crucial support to prospective carers when they need it most and to get the word out across our region that sharing your home can shape a child's future for the better.

"If you are interested in being a foster carer, please get in touch".

To explore the possibility of becoming a foster carer through Foster With Us or to speak with the friendly team, please visit fosterwithus.org.uk or call 0300 019 0200.