On occasion, we at UK Fostering do have the need for foster carers that are able to offer respite on a one-off for a few days or weeks, or more usually, a regular and ongoing basis. This can be a big support to struggling parents (or other foster carers) that are caring for a child…
This Thursday, 5th August, is Playday 2021 and is a great chance to put aside chores, homework and other boring stuff and spend the day enjoying games, fun and silliness. Giving children, and of course, older young people, time and space to play is so important. Due to recent lockdowns and social distancing restrictions, and…
It seems a while ago now that we watched three young men aged 19, 21, 23 years take part in the penalty shootout for their (and my) country, England. Along with all the other penalty takers on that evening, I can only imagine the guts that took. Like many, I have been thinking back over…
Along with ‘how fantastic it would be to have a busy household full of active, inquisitive kids, as a foster carer recruitment officer, one thing I hear often from people interested in fostering sibling groups is how important they feel that it is to keep siblings together under one roof. This could be due to…
I’m sure that when people start considering fostering the first questions that they ask of themselves are: Am I the right kind of person to become a foster carer? Do I have the right skills and experience to help children? Our dedicated team speak to interested people every day who come from a variety of…
This weekend, 31st July to 1st August 2021, we at UK Fostering will all be abuzz with encouraging efforts to help bees. Many types of bee, in the UK and around the world, are becoming endangered. Bees play such a vital role in the ecosystem, and according to Friends of the Earth “In the UK,…
As parent or foster carer, raising a thoughtful, well-rounded young man can be a challenge. Children in foster care need an added layer of support to build resilience, positive sense of self, and to understand how to ‘be a man’ when perhaps some of their early experiences may have not given them the best of…
It’s National Picnic Week this week so time to make the most of the weather and get outdoors. Summer is here – gotta be done! There really is nothing better than a warm sandwich, with some sand/dirt on it, that is being dive-bombed by insects, to remind you that the great outdoors is a wonderfully…
One of life’s lessons that all children and young people have to navigate is how to manage disappointment (as do plenty of adults, if the shameful violence and racist abuse that occurred following England’s UEFA European Championship Final loss last Sunday is anything to go by). Children in foster care will likely have already experienced…
I have just been reading an article from a Stacie Swift, who describes herself as a ‘wellbeing warrior’. She writes: “Anger is a healthy and valid feeling, though not one that is always easy to express. We may not find it easy to control our messy emotions or share them appropriately, so we hold back…