(Image: SUBMIT)
An “annual phenomenon” has doubled enquiries at one North East agency.
Changing Futures North East helps children in Teesside and County Durham and has seen interest soar since mid-September, driven almost entirely by parents whose teenagers have left for university.
Founder of Changing Futures, based in Hartlepool, Graham Alton, said “Empty Nest Syndrome” can prompt parents to consider fostering.
“Empty nest syndrome is the sense of loss some parents feel when their children leave home, and that creates a massive hole in their lives,” said Graham.
“It is an annual phenomenon that in the wake of Freshers Week, we notice a significant upsurge in enquiries, almost always from middle-aged parents who in some ways are mourning the loss of the family dynamic they’d been used to for almost 20 years.”
Founder of Changing Futures, based in Hartlepool, Graham Alton (Image: SUBMIT)
A previous report by The Fostering Network found that, in Wales, 18 per cent of families claimed ‘Empty Nest Syndrome’ was a motivation to foster.
“Many have spent years cooking, cleaning and caring then literally overnight, that’s snatched away, so it is a really normal reaction to want to fill that gap,”
“Parenting is in their DNA, and many realise they still have love to offer, so fostering provides an opportunity to open their home to a child desperately in need of some TLC and a supportive family.”
In the North East, that need has never been greater.
One in 88 children in the region is in care, the highest rate in England.
Graham said the North East had an “unprecedented and urgent” need for more foster families.
“There are nowhere near enough foster families for the sheer volume of looked after children, and if a family can’t be found, that can be devastating for a young person,” added Graham.
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“Some may be moved hundreds of miles from home, ripping away their support network. It is not the start in life they need or deserve.
“That’s why we need more families, and in reality, ‘empty nesters’ can make for the ideal foster family.
“They have the energy, the time and, suddenly, the extra space both in their homes and hearts to help change a young life.”