Across England there's a huge shortfall of parent and child foster carers with Kent based charity Diagrama currently receiving twice as many referrals as two years ago

The charity is concerned that with the number of referrals for parent and child foster placements at an unprecedented level, it urgently needs to fill this shortfall by finding and training new carers for this rewarding role.

Parent and child fostering provides a helping hand to vulnerable parents to develop and learn the key skills needed to raise their child. A parent and child foster placement is provided for mothers and or fathers who are unable to look after their child or children by themselves. The parent or parents and their child or children move in with their appointed parent and child foster carer to gain the practical skills and support needed to help them develop their childcare skills.

In some cases where there are serious concerns regarding either the parenting of the child or the parent's ability to safeguard the child, and our foster carers can provide them with the practical skills and support needed to help them develop their childcare skills.

The age of the parents and children can vary, and they may need placements for various reasons including domestic abuse, trauma, or substance misuse. Families may be in the court system and the parent and child foster carer will contribute to the assessment of the family through written daily notes.

Margaret Gardiner from Diagrama, said, 'Parent and child placements are varied and are often not a straight teaching or assessment placement but a mixture of both. The Diagrama team recognises the complexity and diversity of this type of placement and know the importance of recruiting skilled and experienced professionals as parent and child foster carers. You can be assured that the team will give you expert support throughout every stage of your fostering care. We're currently experiencing a twofold increase in demand and are very interested in talking with previous foster carers, social workers, teachers, midwives, police officers and health officers who are particularly well-suited and may have the skills we need for parent and child fostering.'

If you're interested in learning more about parent and child fostering, visit the Diagrama website.