A plea has been made for people to offer loving homes to some of the county's most vulnerable children - with five youngsters coming into care every week.

Norfolk County Council is appealing for more foster carers to give stability to some of the 1,200 children in the care of the authority.

The council says the number of children in care has stabilised in recent years, but does need more carers to offer them homes.

Dereham Times: Penny CarpenterPenny Carpenter (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Penny Carpenter, the council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "Our foster families are the lifeblood of Norfolk Fostering Service, and we thank and celebrate everyone who works in the fostering community.

"We really need more people to come forward to be carers, so that as many children as possible can benefit from living as a family.

"We know this gives them the best chance to flourish and for foster carers, it gives them the reward of making such a huge difference in a child’s life."

READ MORE: Norfolk County Council launches new fostering film

During Foster Care Fortnight, the council is also encouraging businesses to become fostering friendly organisations, to make it easier for staff to become carers.

Anyone interested in becoming a Norfolk County Council foster carer should visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/fostering