Vulnerable families in West Wales are receiving crucial support through the Fostering Network’s Step-Up Step-Down project, helping children remain with their parents.

Minister for Children and Social Care - Dawn Bowden - called the project 'transformative' during her recent Pembrokeshire visit, where she heard directly from families about its impact.

Rather than removing children from parents, highly trained family support foster carers provide time-limited preventative help, and work alongside families.

They mentor families and offer short breaks for children, creating stability, and giving parents time to address their challenges with support.

Supported by £879,000 in Welsh Government funding across Pembrokeshire and Powys, the project has supported 29 children remain at home, and recently helped one family regain full custody of their daughter who was previously on a foster care order

The Minister said:"Every child deserves stability and the opportunity to remain connected to their family when it's safe to do so.

“Step-Up Step-Down is a transformative project which matches our vision to radically transform children’s services in Wales, helping fewer children enter care while ensuring those who do receive support stay as close to home as possible.

“By working alongside parents, the project is improving outcomes for children, while helping families stay together.

“Foster carers can ‘step up’ when families need more help and ‘step down’ when parents are in a better place to support their children.”

Foster carers Lindsey and Alistair said: "We’ve fostered for years and found that the end of placement can be very rewarding where there’s a warm bond made with the family. Step Up Step Down lets us build that warmth for a little longer.

“We like to help people out of times of crises, to help them realise they are more capable than they think. Keeping families together, when it is safe, can give children stronger futures."