Children come into foster care for all different sorts of reasons. Some stay short-term, some stay long-term, all depending on each child’s unique circumstances and situation. Some children stay in care until they age out of foster care, and some children leave placements after a shorter period of time. Sometimes this is planned, and sometimes…
Recently I heard that someone that I used to work with had taken her own life. It took me a few moments to even process that information at the time, followed by feelings of sadness for her. Even now, rereading this each time again brings a feeling of sorrow. She was only a year or…
The Christmas period can mean a time of joy and relaxation for those that celebrate it – the exchange of gifts, time away from the workplace, eating and drinking far too much. For some this is just not a realistic picture and memories of past Christmases are not always positive – be it estrangement or…
At UK Fostering we are often asked to help with providing foster homes for children who are needing a safe place during the Christmas and New Year period. It is such an emotional time for a foster child to be away from their families, and foster carers can provide an empathetic, supportive home environment at…
As we come into the festive season you may be full of excitement to be able to celebrate face to face with loved-ones, friends etc., after last year’s damp squib lockdown of a Christmas. I’ve already got the freezer and cupboard filling up with Christmas foods and slowly started my gift buying. Hopefully, this year…
A myth that we often hear is that single people can’t foster. We have many successful foster carers – male and female, gay and straight, and with or without their own birth children etc – who are making a real difference in children’s lives. At UK Fostering, we welcome foster carers from all walks of…
‘To speak a single language is to be enclosed in one cultural possibility’ – Martin Hoffman In an increasingly globalised world such as ours, it is often emphasised that the study of languages has an especially important part in capitalising on opportunities for international trade and relations. However, it is for most people, a fantastic…
Bullying can happen anywhere including at school, at home or online. Bullying is usually repeated over a long period of time and can hurt a child both physically and emotionally, even into adulthood. Whilst it is the victim of the abuse who is most vulnerable, it is important to remember that all children who are…
Most of us are now settled back into school or the workplace instead of online or perhaps experiencing an empty house as everyone is now back in their out of home routine! This is maybe a good time to ensure that we set ourselves a new routine with a better attitude to finding ways to…
In the final installment of our series on childhood abuse we look at emotional abuse of which is often present in all of the other forms of abuse covered in this series. What is emotional abuse? The NSPCC defines emotional abuse as “any type of abuse that involves the continual emotional mistreatment of a child.…