Posted on Wednesday 7th January 2026
Councillor Nick Lakin with foster carers Ben and Amy
‘Open your heart, share your home’ is the latest campaign from Staffordshire County Council to help find families for some of the county’s most vulnerable children.
Supporting the campaign are foster carers Amy and Ben Grainger from Stafford, who are asking people to consider fostering as their next challenge. The couple have been fostering for a number of years.
Amy said:
“The new year is when a lot of people look for a new challenge or make a new year’s resolution, and we would like to see more families choosing to become foster carers.
“We thought about fostering for a few years ourselves before we actually took the leap. We knew we could definitely open our home to a child in need and we’re so glad we did it.
“The process for us was straight forward, we enquired online and we were set up with a social worker who visited and carried out our assessment, and we found it really easy to go through.”
Ben added:
“Because we have a daughter and wanted to make sure it worked for everyone, the fostering team were really good at helping us to select the type of fostering that was good for all of us.
“There’s a lot of support and training available and there’s always someone to answer any questions you may have. There are also lots of support groups you can attend and we’ve made lots of friends, too.
“I would say to anyone thinking about fostering to go for it. It’s incredibly rewarding and you won’t look back.”
Every year, tens of thousands of children across the UK need someone to provide foster care. In Staffordshire, 60 more foster families need to be found this year.
Nick Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“We are always looking for new foster families to come forward so we can give children the opportunity to grow up in a loving home.
“The new year can be a great time to think about making changes in your life or setting new challenges, and this year we’re supporting Ben and Amy in their call for people to consider fostering.
“All sorts of people from all walks of life can and do foster with us and you’re never on your own. There’s always advice on hand and lots of training available. Please get in touch with us if you think you can make a difference.”
Throughout January, prospective families can meet the fostering team at a range of events and online presentations. People can find out more on the county council’s fostering website or call 0800 169 2061 and speak to the friendly team.
Watch Ben and Amy talk about their fostering journey here.