Eastern Fostering Services – How do we nurture our Community of Foster Carers?
Lucy Stevens - 21st March 2023
At Eastern Fostering Services, we recognise that our Foster Carers are the lifeblood of the agency. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to offer high quality care to the children we look after. We also know that the best way to ensure we provide stable fostering homes which promote the needs of the children is to look after the well-being of our foster carers. Why is it important to nurture foster carers? Whilst fostering is incredibly rewarding, it is hard work! We ask a lot of our foster carers. They care for some of the most vulnerable children, all of whom have experienced some degree of loss and trauma. And they do this 24/7 in their own homes. It is
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Is fostering a viable alternative to adoption?
Lucy Stevens - 6th March 2023
We know at the moment that many Local Authorities are reducing their intake of adopters. But is fostering a potential alternative to those who may have their hearts set on adoption? What are the benefits of fostering with Eastern Fostering Services? Ongoing support One of the biggest advantages to fostering is the ongoing support that you will receive. When you foster a child through Eastern Fostering Services, you will receive regular supervision with your Supervising Social Worker. This is an opportunity to discuss any challenges and share ideas for how to tackle them. Your supervising social worker is also there to advocate for you and your child. This can be in relation to education, health and emotional needs and unlocking
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Fostering: A child’s view – K-L’s story
Lucy Stevens - 23rd February 2023
Firstly, I am not K-L. She is not quite ready to tell her own story, it still has the power to destroy with each retelling. What I share with you now, I do so with her blessing but it is unlikely she will cast an eye on it. Yet. Sometimes as a foster carer you consider how different the lives of children could be if we lived in a more equal, fairer society. If families weren’t living in poverty, had equal educational opportunities and access to better support services. At other times it’s all too clear that there are families who actively harm their own children and this is an even more bitter pill to swallow. K-L is one such
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Fostering: A child’s view – M’s story
Lucy Stevens - 17th February 2023
When I was 17, I thought I knew it all. I’d had a rough childhood and when I was a teenager I got in with a gang. I did drugs and did some drug running up and down the country. There was something comforting in that life, being on the edge, always a step away from violence. It was what I knew but it was also something I belonged to, something I didn’t have with my own family. Their rejection still hurt, and I would take the drugs to cope and to just numb everything. My boyfriend was also a gang member and had a list of offences as long as your arm. We were both pretty well-known to the
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The Panel: The story of Angela and Mark*
Josh Brightmore - 3rd February 2023
“It’s only now that they’ve gone that we’re re-discovering all these little notes from them. It’s so heart-warming”. Talking to Angela and Mark about their first foster-child – Alex* – I’m struck by the warmth they still have for them, and while it wasn’t always a bed of roses, they both seem to be incredibly enriched by the experience – both the good and the bad. I had expected Angela and Mark to tell me that the process of finally being approved as foster carers – by a panel including a previously fostered person, foster carers, local authority staff and staff from Eastern Fostering Services – was at least a little bit nerve-wracking. But Angela assures me that this wasn’t
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Fostering: A child’s view – L’s story
Lucy Stevens - 27th January 2023
I’m L and I’m 15. I’ve been in foster care since I was 8. I moved around quite a bit, mostly cos the foster carers I had didn’t feel they could keep me safe. Whatever that means. When I was 13 I found out that my mum was pregnant. I worried about what would happen to the baby. My brother. I wondered if he would have nice carers who would look after him. Would I be able to see him? Or would he be adopted? All these thoughts were just going round and round in my head. Then one day my social worker took me to McDonalds. That usually means bad news, like I need to move again or some
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Fostering: A child’s view – H’s story
Lucy Stevens - 20th January 2023
Here’s the thing about me. I need to know what’s happening. I don’t like change; I don’t like SPONTANEITY. I like to know what I’m doing and when. If things suddenly change or if something happens that I’m not expecting, it makes me feel really really scared. I don’t like people touching me or getting in my space. When they do it makes me want to break free. I don’t like it when people lie to me or talk in riddles. Just say the truth and explain it properly. I love reading. I’m not interested in my phone or games, TikTok or Snapchat. I just love to read. My foster carer, Sue, says that is why I know so much.
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Fostering: a child’s view – B’s story
Lucy Stevens - 13th January 2023
I’m B and I’m 12. When I lived with my mum, I worried about her a lot and I started to get really scared about leaving her. I would miss school so I could always be there just in case. Things got pretty bad and my mum just stayed in bed all day and drank quite a bit at night. She would get really angry and cry a lot and one day she ended up taking a load of pills and saying she wanted to die. I had to look after her and my little sister. It felt good to be needed but I was also really angry. Like I was either feeling sick from worrying or sick from being
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Fostering: a child’s view – J’s story.
Lucy Stevens - 6th January 2023
My name’s J. I’m 15. I can’t live with my mum any more. I don’t really want to talk about it but let’s just say I can’t relax at home. My dad and step-mum have a new baby and no room for me. I wouldn’t want to live there anyway. You don’t want to be somewhere you’re not wanted do you? So I’m just kipping on mates’ sofas until their parents have enough of me and it’s time to move on. I can do what I want, when I want. No-one notices. I’m supposed to be having my mocks at the moment. I like school actually. I like learning new stuff, like how things work. Science stuff. But outside of
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New year, new role?
Lucy Stevens - 3rd January 2023
Could 2022 be the year you start your fostering journey? At this time of year many people begin to re- evaluate and start to think about a change of direction, perhaps hoping to pursue a role which will bring more meaning and satisfaction to their lives. If you have ever thought about fostering, 2022 could be the time to pursue a new and rewarding vocation which could help change the life of a child for the better and bring you associated rewards. With the numbers of children in care significantly increasing (now over 80,000 in England according to Government statistics) we need more caring and compassionate foster carers who can welcome children into their homes and provide them with the
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