All is Calm, All is Bright?
Lucy Stevens - 14th December 2020
How to manage Christmas when you foster. Fostering the Christmas Spirit… Children all over the world love Christmas. The lights that transform the usually dull, dark streets, the houses lit up, the decorated tree, the jangle of Christmas tunes. The magic of an empty stocking on Christmas Eve that will be bulging by morning. Feeling loved and safe in the heart of a family who is in celebratory mood. But for many children living in foster care, Christmas is a really difficult time. In the bleak mid-winter For young people in foster care, the traditions that so define this time of year can act as triggers for children who have had adverse childhood experiences. These triggers could be anything from
Tags: christmas, covid fostering, fostering Essex, fostering service, fostering support
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Hundreds of vulnerable children in your area need foster carers. Now more than ever.
Lucy Stevens - 17th August 2020
Could you help children's voices be heard? ...perhaps lockdown has at once emphasised a devastating problem and revealed a source of hope.... For many hundreds of children, lockdown has exacerbated a reality that many of us will never have to face. As restrictions have slowly eased, we have seen the tip of an iceberg that is the reality for our most vulnerable children. Many have been locked into abusive and neglectful homes with no hope of help and no ear to hear their voices. We know that reports of domestic violence have increased and we believe that the strains of lockdown on mental health, addiction, finances and relationships will have had a significant impact on children living in already difficult
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Going Through The Fostering Application Process – Eastern Fostering Services
Lucy Stevens - 14th April 2020
I get back from Calais absurdly happy to see my family and determined to see this fostering thing through to its conclusion, to its beginning. It’s just as well because we are straight back into things. It starts with the small matter of a trip to the doctor for our medical assessments. Eastern Fostering Services (the fostering agency) provided us with the forms which we filled in and dropped to the surgery. An appointment was given and hey presto, I find myself slightly sleep deprived, weeing into a pot and answering the usual bland health questions. The long and short of it is that I am fit and healthy and so, it turns out, is my husband Jim. It’s all
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#ThisIsFostering
Lucy Stevens - 8th April 2020
This young person has been with her foster carers for 6 years Every year the Fostering Network runs a campaign to raise awareness of fostering: Foster Care Fortnight. This year's theme is #ThisIsFostering. At Eastern Fostering Services, we asked our carers to show us visually what fostering looks like for them. As photographs started to pour in, we felt so moved by the images of family, togetherness and love that they revealed. #ThisIsFostering: family A photograph can speak a thousand words, but what is behind the photograph? The pictures that we are featuring come with their unique backstory. The couple featured in the photograph above have been caring for their foster daughter for 6 years. They have seen her through
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The Virtual Reality of fostering
Lucy Stevens - 26th February 2020
Virtual reality and fostering, why? Independent agency, Eastern Fostering Services are using virtual reality in their fostering training. But why? And how? In reality, fostering is hard. Foster carers are expected to be able to cope with a range of challenges within their own home. Children come into foster care with all manner of grief, pain and damage and this can manifest itself in many ways. Virtually anything can happen... Challenging behavioursAttachment issues or disordersPost Traumatic Stress Disorder AnxietyDepressionSelf harmDrug and alcohol misuseViolence or aggressionSleep disordersMental health problemsConfusionDelayed developmentHypervigilance The list goes on. Indeed, foster carers need to be able to cope with whatever fostering throws at them. Many foster carers will say that they are prepared for any eventuality!
Tags: Eastern Fostering Services, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, fostering training
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‘Fostering has humbled us’ – could you give a child a second chance at life?
Lucy Stevens - 17th January 2020
Every child deserves to have a safe base and to grow up in a loving, supporting environment which nurtures their confidence and self-esteem. But in the UK alone, a new child is bought into care needing a foster family every 20 minutes. In the UK, the number of children waiting to be fostered is rapidly growing. In March 2019, 54,870 out of the 75,420 children in care away from home were living with foster families in England, but fostering services need approximately 7,220 more families to open up their homes to children in need. Could you help? East Anglian-based Eastern Fostering Services (EFS) is currently looking for families, couples and individuals to foster in the region. The small team makes
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The Fostering Panel: step 5 to becoming a foster carer
Lucy Stevens - 1st October 2019
What is the fostering panel? Once your fostering assessment is complete and the report known as the Form F has been submitted, you will get a date to appear at panel. You are now well on your way to becoming a foster carer. The Fostering Panel are a group of people who will put you at ease. We always maintain that fostering applicants should not be brought to panel if there is any doubt around their ability and motivation to foster. For many prospective foster carers, the fostering panel can be a daunting prospect. However, the panel at Eastern Fostering Services are all keen to approve foster carers. As a result, they are there to ensure you are well prepared
Tags: becoming a foster carer, fostering assessment, fostering panel
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The Fostering Assessment – Step 4 in becoming a foster carer
Lucy Stevens - 16th September 2019
What is the fostering assessment for? Your Fostering Assessment will be carried out by one of our friendly, experienced assessors. Once you have completed your application form and we have carried out the necessary checks, we will begin your fostering assessment. A fostering assessor will be assigned to you and your family. All of our assessors are friendly, keen to put you at your ease and experienced in producing fostering assessment reports. The job of your assessor is to provide a detailed report on you, your partner and your family. This report will look at your life experiences, motivation, strengths and qualities . It should also flag up training opportunities. In addition to this, the report will give your fostering
Tags: becoming a foster carer, foster carer, fostering, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering form f, fostering Suffolk
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The Fostering Application form
Lucy Stevens - 12th September 2019
The next step in becoming a foster carer. How do I proceed with the Fostering Application after the home visit? Completing the Fostering Application form is not difficult...just a little time consuming. Last week we shared a blog about the home visit. Once you have had your home visit and you, your family and the fostering provider are keen to go ahead with your fostering application, you are ready for the next stage of the process. The fostering application form. What information does the fostering application form require? We need quite a bit of information from you in order to proceed with your fostering application. The assessment will consist of information gathering both behind the scenes and directly from you
Tags: becoming a foster carer, becoming a foster family, becoming a fostering family, fostering, fostering application, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, how do I become a foster carer
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How do I become a foster carer?
Lucy Stevens - 4th September 2019
Step 2: The home visit Once you have done your research and have decided you want to become a foster carer, you can arrange a home visit. An important part of your journey to become a foster carer is to ensure you are well informed. To this end, the home visit is an excellent opportunity to ask any questions you have about fostering and becoming a foster carer. I want to become a foster carer.What questions should I ask? Deciding to become a foster carer can open up all sorts of questions and worries. Therefore it is important that the fostering service you are speaking to are open and responsive to your questions. You can find a list of the
Tags: applying to be a foster carer, becoming a foster carer, becoming a foster family, becoming a fostering family, essex foster care, Essex fostering, fostering agencies near me, fostering application, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering children, fostering Suffolk, how do I become a foster carer, Suffolk fostering
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