What is a trauma ‘anniversary’ and what does it mean for those caring for children who have had a difficult, often traumatic start in life? Our body and brains ability to store trauma so that key events can trigger a reaction without us knowing why is linked to our primitive survival response. We remember how…
As some of you may know I, Tim McArdle am also the co-founder of the charity Ukindo . Although Ukindo an an entity is fairly new, I have supported children in care to travel to India for the last ten years, spending time in IB School in Rohtak and experiencing the incredible and vibrant culture…
We have been contacted by the BBC and asked if we can assist in identifying foster carer nominees who deserve to be recognised for their contribution to fostering. I promised to upload this to our blog section and to email it out to all of our contacts. Please do contact the BBC directly if you…
We had a fantastic day with Jenny (aka Hackney Child). First she provided an exceptional training session to our carers about her experiences as a looked after child. This was followed by the book signing…
Tainted Love Book Review + Book Signing information Stunningly moving and desperately sad. You’ll be puffing out your cheeks, shaking your head and pleading out loud “oh no please no” as you travel through each story. Tainted love is the follow up story to the…
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…
As I walked in the house, all the faces were new They smiled at me and the dog came in view Then they sat themselves down in what they called the lounge, With pictures of children and family around. They speak of my Mum and my Dad and my Nan, They speak like they think…
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…
The Max Card scheme is a discount card which offers looked-after children and children with disabilities free or discounted entry into over 245 venues across the UK. We have exciting attractions such as Eureka, Dudley Zoo, and Tenpin Bowling kindly offering their sites to our Max Card users. At present, over 8,500 children are currently…