I’m Ben and I’m eleven years old, my mum is a foster carer. My mum is a single mum and she has fostered kids for the past five years. Most of the time I love my mum fostering, I got used to having other kids here and when we had a bit of a break…
I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but I always feel very excited when a placement call comes through. The snippets of information you get about a child or young person that could come into your home and heart always get me thinking. The problem is that the referral that follows usually include…
My earliest memories are quite good my reason for this is that I am from a travelling community and I have travelled a lot. It all started most in a house some in a caravan on the back roads of nowhere. I might as well call myself a traveller as I have seem most parts…
When I was asked if I’d be able to put down a few words to share my experience of being approved as a foster carer for a full year, I was jokingly told, by a couple of people I might add, to “make sure you don’t put potential carers off!”. It made me chuckle –…
How trauma can trigger trauma in foster care When I was thinking about secondary trauma in fostering, as I often do, I went on a bit of a thought-fuelled journey as I thought about the topic from various angles. Should I be exploring? 1. Vicarious trauma? 2. Post-traumatic stress? 3. Secondary trauma? 4. Something else?…
I’ve worked in this sector for approximately 13 years and seen tens of thousands of referrals for children which either whirl their way through the internet to my office or arrive following a frantic phone call to my team. One thing that I can’t fail to notice is how a label can have a profound…
Left Ear And Ear Right I have these for listening, Left ear and ear right, Plus the bit in the middle, That struggles at night. The left ear is listening, To a whispering word, The right ear hears different, And all seems absurd. The bit in the middle, Well let’s call it ME, Is locked…
Top 10 Things Every Child Needs We asked our Facebook community what they considered were the top ten things that every child needs taking for granted that food, water and oxygen are necessary for any child. Thanks to all of you for your input. From the responses received we have identified our top 10. Did…
Fostering Patience It’s Monday again and to be honest I seething, The meeting’s been cancelled and the little one’s teething, I need a decision; it was needed last week, It’s a struggle I tell you, to be smiley and meek. They say to be calm and to focus on child, But I’d like them to…
Acronyms, Labels and People Following on from a comment on one of our Facebook threads we decided to throw out to the Facebook world what they thought about the term LAC (Looked After Child) and the issue of labelling children in care. We were met with a sizeable response which included many opinions and views…