#50FAMILIES INITIATIVE

So what is 50families?

Our vision

Prevent / Recruit / Support

We want to serve our city by encouraging Christians across Derby to consider how they can be involved in fostering and adoption in Derby - whether that be considering fostering or adoption for themselves or supporting those in their own church community who already do.

In Derby City there are over 600 children looked after away from birth families, and of those, over 450 are in fostering placements. However, tragically less than a third of these placements are currently placed with Derby City carers*. Often, as they come into foster care, children are placed with other organisations and agencies, sometimes 100s of miles away from home. This means that they are away from families to maintain contact with, away from their community, and away from a school that they know. 

As church leaders in the city we’ve been praying and asking God what our response should be in this crisis. 

James 1:27 - “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress”

We know that we have a biblical mandate to look after, to care for vulnerable children and so we have been praying and asking what we should be doing practically in derby. 

We feel that God has spoken to us about being involved in Prevention, Recruitment and Support:

• Helping to prevent children going into care in the first place.

• Helping to recruit more foster carers in the city.

• Helping to support new and existing carers.

#50families is about asking God for 50 new fostering households over the next three years. 

What can you do?

We’d love you to pray and ask God what your role might be in this

• Could you be involved in helping to prevent children from going into care?

• Might God be speaking to you about being a foster carer?

• Could you help support those in your local church who are already carers? 

Fostering Sundays

WHAT IS FOSTERING SUNDAY?

A day where churches across Derby will focus on the subject of fostering and adoption, with the aim of encouraging their congregations to consider whether they could become foster carers or how they may be able support people who are already carers within their community.

We’ll ask church leaders to preach on the subject or to play a pre-recorded video and have stories from any foster carers in their community. Fostering Sundays can also be used to help promote local information evenings which will be organised to help those who are interested to explore more about what it means to be a foster carer or adoptive parent.

WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE?

• A Promo Video to help you promote Fostering Sunday in the run up to the event.

• A Pre-Recorded Preach - a high quality talk about the themes of Fostering & Adoption and what the Bible has to say. This will be available for churches to use during their Fostering Sunday service. (Free)

• Service Resources - we can also provide suggested prayers, sermon notes, illustrations, appropriate scripture readings, suggested worship songs to help with planning a full Fostering Sunday service from scratch.

Downloadable Church Resources:

Fostering Sunday - 4:3 Promo Image | Fostering Sunday - 16:9 Promo Image (add the date you want to use…)

Information Evenings

What are we asking people to do as a result?

Consider Fostering or Adopting - there may be people in your congregation who have been thinking and praying about the whole area of fostering and adoption, or it may be brand new to them. In conjunction with the City Council we will host information evenings, for those who would like to find out more.

Consider Supporting a Foster Carer or Adoptive Parent - others in your congregation may not feel for whatever reason that they can commit to fostering or adoption but that they may be able to support someone else who is a carer. These evenings will also be helpful for people who would like to find out more about being a support to families who do care for looked after children.

Come and investigate what it means to be a foster carer for Derby City Council.

There'll be an opportunity to meet other Christian carers and hear their stories. We'll also share more about how you can get involved in supporting those who are already carers in our city. We'll also hear from Safe Families who are working with Derby City Council to prevent children from going into care. Clicking the link below will take you to our Guestlist booking page…

Fostering Sunday Talk Premiers

We will also premier the latest Fostering Sunday videos here on the 50families website. We’ll do this around the time which churches have agreed to host Fostering Sunday…

Shorter Talk ~6 mins

Who are we working with?

#50FAMILIES is an initiative of Derby City Vision,

working with Derby City Council, Safe Families and home for Good.

Contact Form

We’d love to keep you up to date with developments, events and news from the #50FAMILIES team. If you would like us to contact you or you’d like to join our mailing list please click on the link below and you’ll be redirected to our contact form.

Social Media

Twitter: @50families | Facebook: 50families