YOU could earn up to £175 a week – and help to change the life of a young person.
Today, the Grimsby Telegraph is highlighting the benefits to people in North East Lincolnshire if they sign up to be a foster carer.
Anyone can apply, providing there is room in their home and they have the right qualities to look after children.
But what can fostering offer you? As well as the satisfaction of helping young people, foster carers are entitled to an income tax exemption up to a certain threshold.
The threshold has two elements:
A fixed amount to cover capital costs initially set at £10,000 per year.
An additional amount per child, initially set at £200 per week for a child up to the age of 11 and £250 per week for a child aged 11 years and over.
Foster carers should be over the age of 21 and can be from any background, and they do not need professional qualifications.
All that is asked is that an individual goes through assessments and training.
A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council said: "The fostering team are currently recruiting foster carers to provide stable, safe, calming environments for children who may have survived traumatic, life-changing circumstances or have challenging behaviours or health difficulties.
"The children need a chance to recover and an opportunity to achieve the things in life we would wish for all children.
"All foster carers are paid a weekly allowance for each child they look after."
Councillor Ian Lindley, pictured, the portfolio holder for people services at the council, said: "Throughout the UK, a child comes into care every 22 minutes.
"Foster carers are ordinary people doing remarkable things for young people every day.
"Fostering isn't easy but if you think it is something you might like to consider, please call into one of the events this month.
"There is no pressure but you might find a new fulfilling career that makes a big difference to some of our most vulnerable children."
The council has coincided its search for foster parents with Fostering Fortnight, running from now until Sunday, May 26.
In addition, various events have been set up for people to have informal chats with the fostering team, social workers and foster carers.
Representatives from these will be at the Fishing Heritage Centre today between 10am and 3pm and again on Friday, May 24, at the Cleethorpes Leisure Centre between 10am and 3pm.
Next week the Grimsby Telegraph will feature a couple who have fostered more than 300 children over 25 years.
They have also agreed to do a live web chat to answer any queries from those considering being a foster parent.
THE GRIMSBY TELEGRAPH EDITOR'S VIEWFoster caring will certainly not be for everyone, even if they meet all the criteria. However in these times, with the chance of earning money and doing some good for a child in need, it is surely worth a look, or at least put in the call. There are probably many, many very suitable people out there who simply feel it is too difficult to even ask about fostering – but you will only know if you do so! Children are never easy, any parent will tell you that and the initial fear of taking on someone else's may well be enough to put off would-be foster mums and dads. But there is the flip side – providing vital care and support for children who will need help for a whole variety of reasons, plus the satisfaction of knowing you have provided that assistance. And it is a career – a caring professional which needs more staff!Let us know your views viewpoint@grimsbytelegraph.co.ukFollow the editor on Twitter @michellelalorTYPES OF FOSTER CAREEmergency: If children need somewhere safe to stay for a few nights.Short-term: Carers look after children for a few weeks or months while plans are made for the child's future.Short breaks: When children who are disabled, have special needs or have behavioural difficulties regularly stay for a while with a family. This means their parents or usual foster carers can have a break.Remand: When young people are remanded by a court to be looked after by a specially-trained foster carer.Long-term: Not all children who need to permanently live away from their birth family want to be adopted, so instead they go into long-term foster care until they're adults.Family and friends or kinship: A child being cared for by the local council goes to live with someone they already know, usually a family member.Specialist therapeutic: For children and young people with very complex needs and/or challenging behaviour.