Atlas has announced that it is the first FM company to become a Fostering Friendly Employer. The Fostering Network’s scheme helps employers support and recognise the roles of employees who foster, through an HR policy which includes flexible working and paid time off for training and settling a new child in their home.
Nearly 40% of foster carers combine fostering with other work and a supportive employer can make all the difference, enabling a balance between employment and looking after children. More than 90 organisations across the UK have signed up to the scheme, with Atlas the first FM company to do so.
Atlas group managing director Chris Wisely commented: “We are proud to achieve Fostering Friendly Employer status. Atlas is very much a family business and our purpose of ‘creating happiness’ leads us to strive to have a positive impact on the communities around us. The accreditation sends an important message to our employees that we fully support foster carers in the incredible work that they do to look after vulnerable children and young people.”
The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading fostering charity and executive chair Mervyn Erskine said: “Becoming a Fostering Friendly employer is something to be really proud of. Foster carers are the bedrock of children’s social care – for the difference they make to the lives of children. It is important that this vital role is not only recognised, but also encouraged by their employers. The scheme is free to join and suitable for organisations of any size – please get in touch with The Fostering Network to join the growing number of Fostering Friendly employers.”
