Father’s Day can be a sensitive and challenging time for children and young people in care.

Male carers play a vital role in shaping the childhoods and adolescent years of the youngsters they care for, providing stability and guidance.

Often, they become a new male role model that the children and young people rely on.

Foster4 has more than 450 fostering households, with around 350 including a male carer, and they can be overlooked or not considered to be the main carer.

Foster4 is seeing more men come forward into foster caring.

Tara Falcous, Foster4 marketing and recruitment manager, said: “We have hundreds of male carers who are exceptional role models and we are seeing more men come forward.

“Years ago, it was usually women who drove the idea of fostering but there has been a real culture shift – for the better – that has slowly changed in recent times and accelerated with the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic brought.

“As more people are now at home, fostering has become more feasible and it’s great to see more potential male carers come forward as a result.

“Our stories focusing on carers like Warren, Earl and Craig as well as Alex and Andy, who we have featured over the past few weeks, have also helped to give men the confidence to enquire about becoming a foster carer.”

Shayne, who fosters with his wife Michelle, said: “I always make sure there’s a hot meal on the table at teatime and make time for everyone to sit down and talk about their day.

“I set up games nights at the weekend and we’re always playing football in the garden.

“We’ve had our fair share of challenges but understand that often the behaviour displayed is linked to trauma the child has experienced and so we support the children by building a safe space where they can express themselves, working closely with professionals.

“We have a family motto, from the Disney film Lilo and Stitch.

“Ohana, Ohana means family – nobody gets left behind.

“Our door is always open and we often have young people we’ve previously fostered round for big Sunday lunches.”

He added: “Being seen as the father figure can be complex as every child’s circumstances are different.

“I help to support our young people to understand the relationships with their own dads and, in the meantime, I help with everything from budgeting to car trouble!”

For more information about fostering visit foster4.co.uk or call 01925 444100. You can also email fosteringrecruitment@warrington.gov.uk or use @foster4cheshire on Facebook and Instagram.

Could you become a male foster carer?

Has the pandemic and subsequent change to your working life shifted your priorities?

Are you now at home more regularly with more flexibility to foster?

Foster4 welcomes enquiries from people from all walks of life and this Father’s Day, the fostering team is encouraging prospective male carers to come forward.

If you’re over 21, have a spare room and are great with children and young people, you could foster.

All enquiries are treated with discretion and there are many male carers that Foster4 can put you in touch with as part of your assessment.

Foster4 has a strong, local community of foster carers and support groups specifically for male carers.

For more information visit foster4.co.uk/enquire