Teddy bear hunt to promote benefits of fostering
BBCTeddy bears have been placed in Guernsey businesses for people to find in a bid to promote the benefits of fostering children.
The Family Placement Service has 15 bears in locations across the island as part of its Hidden Bears Hidden Heroes initiative which starts on Saturday.
Each one is carrying a card with their individual story and information about fostering which people are encouraged to find and share a photo of.
Vicky Tellen from the service said the project aimed to promote the impact foster carers can have on young peoples' lives.
"Fostering unfortunately is always going to be something that's needed on island just as it is across the UK and in other areas," said Tellen.
"It's going to be something that we always need more of."
"Therefore we need to have a variety of carers who are available with the relevant skill sets and have gone through the relevant approvals so that we can provide loving and safe homes for the children that need them."
Tellen said people might not think fostering was an option due to the cost of living or that it might be "harder than it potentially is".
"The idea is that there's some form of care that could work for most people and we just want people to be able to pick up the phone and just inquire and take that first step," she said.
Clue sheets of where to find the bears can be collected from Beau Sejour, the Guille-Alles Library and Mim's Kiosk at Cobo, or downloaded from the Guernsey Foster Care and Adoption Facebook page.
People can tag Guernsey Foster Care and Adoption on Facebook to share which ones they had found, before they will be removed on 1 November.
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