Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie has praised local foster carers and Gloucestershire County Council on television for its work looking after children needing care.
Ms Baillie spoke of one foster dad as inspirational when she appeared on BBC Politics Live.
Those on the show were talking about foster care following a report by the charity Barnardo’s that found fewer families were coming forward to be foster families. They called for change to the law to get paid parental leave for foster families.
Ms Baillie explained Gloucestershire’s county council is already doing this for its own staff who are or want to be foster carers.
The MP understands local employers are also already flexible but said that local foster carers find social services cancelling or changing appointments is challenging for anybody who works.
“I said on the tellybox that I’m intuitively in favour of doing whatever we can to support these families who give the most vulnerable young people the best life chances,” she said.
“Local foster families inspire me all the time. It is hard but vital work. I want to thank them and call for more families to come forward.
“It is often not about the money, it is about caring people giving young people a loving home but we do need to make it worthwhile and easier if we are to attract more people to do it.”
