There has been plenty of discussion in the media recently on the subject of holidays being considerably cheaper if taken during school term time and the fines being levied against parents for taking their children out of school. There is another group of families that also find themselves affected and have even less sway to…
Positivity is incredibly important in fostering. The life stories of the children entering the care system are often extremely sad. As social care staff or foster carers, reading these stories is something we do regularly. Dealing with the resultant feelings of anger, sadness, disgust and confusion is par for the course. It is from those…
UK Fostering welcomes the news that children in foster care are able to remain with their families until the age of 21. This will make a significant difference to thousands of foster children who will benefit from the ongoing support, warmth and love of their foster family as they reach young adulthood. However, questions still…
We are often asked “what makes a good foster carer” and some people think it simply comes down to their circumstances, where they live, what the accommodation is like, the animals they have, the children in the home, whether they are married or not and / or their previous professional training. Whilst all of the…
With this years’ foster care fortnight starting on the 13th – 26th May we reflect on the fact that 9000 more foster carers are required nationwide. The Fostering Network works tirelessly to highlight the need for more foster carers and this year is no different. This year promises to be the biggest drive ever involving…
On the 22nd May 2012 the former Children’s Minister Tim Loughton made a speech at the ‘Celebration of Fostering’ Event hosted by the Fostering Network. Amongst the many points he made, one particular point about working foster carers brought about a little debate. “…..I know that some services require all their fostering families to have…
As Staffordshire County Council launches a drive to recruit prison officers and ex military as foster carers the question being asked is what they expect them to do with challenging kids in care. On the face of it, it’s a fair question. We don’t want our foster homes to become extensions of youth custody establishments.…
Fostering is not only a rewarding task, but it can also be very challenging, testing and at times energy draining. That is why it is very important that we focus on providing reliable support to foster families, which can really make a difference in solving problems, working through issues and keeping placements of children and…
An intention to become a foster carer is often carried around for several years, before actually being put into action. When we speak to people who contact us to find out more about fostering, or to apply to become a foster carer, they often say: ’I have been thinking about becoming a foster carer for…
Here is the second part to an article in December 2012 about Resilience in which we acknowledged how important this issue is for children in foster care. Why is resilience important Since resilience is about overcoming difficulties and ‘bouncing back’ it is obvious that, wherever resilience is asked for, something difficult has happened. For foster…