A NEW campaign is being launched in North Yorkshire to encourage foster carers to come forward.

North Yorkshire County Council’s fostering service is encouraging more people to consider offering their care and support to a vulnerable teenager.

Steph Spaven, a 21-year-old care leaver and chairman of North Yorkshire’s Young People’s Council said: “From my own experience of being taken into care I can say first-hand how important fostering is.

"If a foster placement had not been found for me, it’s most likely I would have gone into a residential care home or even supported housing.

“By becoming fostered and living in a family environment it allowed me to have the support I needed to reach my full potential and be accepted into university.

“Everybody was a teenager once and there are many reasons why a young person is taken into care. Fostering can change lives. I know this because it changed mine.”

North Yorkshire carers are supported with regular contact from social workers and the weekly allowance for a foster carer looking after a 16-year-old is £318.40.

For information about becoming a foster carer and to find out about information events being held around the county on January 20, go to www.northyorks.gov.uk/fostering or call Fostering North Yorkshire on 0800 054 6989.