TOWIE star Debbie Douglas is coming to Thurrock next week to help the council recruit foster carers as part of Foster Care Fortnight.

The tv star, who is famous for having fostered 250 children, will give a talk at the Park Inn hotel in North Stifford, at a special council open evening.

The open evening is part of the council's drive for new or experienced foster carers to join its teams.

Nationally every 20 minutes in the UK a child will come into care and need a foster family.

The evening will start with a talk by TOWIE foster carer Debbie Douglas followed by open discussion in small groups.

Members of the council’s fostering team - including social workers and current foster carers - will also be on hand to answer questions and talk about the types of children who require fostering.

A spokesman for Thurrock council said foster carers can come from all age groups and backgrounds, live in all kinds of homes and do not have to be Thurrock residents, but slive within a 20 mile radius of the borough.

Councillor Bukky Okunade, the council’s portfolio holder for children’s social care, said: “We are holding this event in conjunction with the Fostering Network’s annual Foster Care Fortnight to raise awareness of fostering and the needs of the children who come into social care.

“Their theme this year is Time to Foster, Time to Care, something we all believe in.

“Although we are looking to increase the number of our foster carers generally, at the moment, we are particularly interested in applicants who can foster teenagers or sibling groups.”

Anybody interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer for the council should visit the open and information evening to be held in North Stiffford next Tuesday at the Park Inn Hotel.

Foster carers can be retired, working, married, single or unemployed and may or may not have children of their own. What they all have in common is that they want to make a positive difference to a child's life.

The welfare of Thurrock children is paramount, and in order to meet their needs, everyone involved in the caring process must maintain a high level of professionalism and commitment to quality.

Foster carers will be recognised as an integral member of the care team and offered the council’s full support, including thorough training.

Anyone can enquire about becoming a foster carer, so long as they are over 21 and have a spare bedroom in their home.

The open evening will be held at the Garden Room, at the Park Inn Hotel, High Street, from 6.30pm on Tuesday, 17 May.

For more information about Thurrock Council’s fostering, call 0800 652 1256, go to facebook.com/thurrockfostering, or email fostering.adoption@thurrock.gov.uk

For more on Foster Care Fortnight, see thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/get-involved/championing-fostering/foster-care-fortnight