Fostering trans young people
Lucy Stevens - 3rd June 2021
7 things trans young people need from their foster carers We know that children and young people in foster care are highly vulnerable and need their foster carers to support and advocate for them. We also know that trans young people are vulnerable to discrimination and oppression. So how should carers prepare for fostering trans young people? What should foster carers know about what it's like to be a trans young person? One could say that generally our society does not treat young people well. Teenagers are often treated with suspicion and criticism and a degree of contempt. For young people in foster care, these attitudes are largely exacerbated. When it comes to fostering trans young people, the challenges can
Tags: foster care, fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, fostering trans young people, how can I foster?, how do I become a foster carer, how to foster, LGBT fostering, trans, transgender
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Fostering: the simple things change lives
Lucy Stevens - 26th February 2021
Lai and Barrie, Essex We would really recommend fostering. If you are thinking of making the first step, we can testify that fostering changes lives. We took our first step 6 years ago; over that time we have looked after a range of children. Our first child was a teenager. Our role was really to prepare her for independence. She is a lovely girl and just needed gentle guidance and a loving, non-judgemental family. She stayed with us for a year and made so much progress in that time. She continues to be a close friend to our daughter and now has a good job in a hospital and a child of her own! What’s it all about? For us,
Tags: fostering, fostering agency, fostering Essex, fostering support, independent fostering agencies
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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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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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5 steps to becoming a foster carer
Lucy Stevens - 28th August 2019
Step 1 - Register your interest Thinking of becoming a foster carer? How do you find out which fostering providers to approach? As with anything in life, when it comes to becoming a foster carer, you should do your research. As a foster carer, you will need excellent support so you should look for local fostering providers who offer quality, 24 hour support. Smaller agencies are often better placed to offer quality, tailored support. The Fostering Network have a tool on their website that allows you to search for local fostering providers. Moreover the internet is an excellent source of information. However, you need to know what you are looking for when deciding which fostering provider might best suit you
Tags: becoming a foster carer, becoming a foster family, becoming a fostering family, foster care, fostering, fostering agency, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering in Peterborough, fostering near me, fostering service, fostering Suffolk
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Independent Fostering Agencies: right to reply
Lucy Stevens - 27th August 2019
On Tuesday 27th August, the BBC covered a news story relating to fostering, and in particular, to the role of independent fostering agencies in fostering. Radio 4’s Today programme devoted a large swathe of their air time to the subject and a written article can be found on the BBC News website. Eastern Fostering Services, as a small, independent fostering agency, were disappointed to find that the independent providers were yet again vilified as cash counting mercenaries who are only working in the fostering sector for financial gain. Such broad-based assumption feeds in to the negative associations that are held in relation to fostering more widely. The private and public should be able to work together to provide the best
Tags: fostering, fostering agencies, fostering agencies near me, fostering Essex, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, independent fostering agencies, private sector fostering
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Fostering children: a new PATH?
Lucy Stevens - 15th July 2019
Fostering should empower children to make a better future for themselves. When fostering children, how do we ensure we keep children at the heart of everything we do? Many foster carers are highly driven to provide child-centric care to the children they are fostering. This takes many forms from therapeutic fostering, advocacy, support in education and providing boundaries. And let's not forget good old fashioned love and nurturing. All foster carers however need to work within the system and its associated requirements and constraints. It is within this arena that many foster carers see the child-centred approach turn on its heels and disappear. Is a child centred approach to fostering children always adopted in meetings with professionals? many foster carers
Tags: fostering, fostering children, fostering in Suffolk, fostering Suffolk, looked after children, Suffolk fostering
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Fostering Refugee Children
Lucy Stevens - 12th June 2019
What should carers know when it comes to fostering refugee children? When it comes to fostering refugee children, carers must learn to navigate a whole new world. Let's start with semantics. The language people use when discussing the needs, provision and challenges associated with fostering refugee children is specific and fluid. In the UK we tend to brand all migrant children as refugee children or vice versa. In fact, whether someone is a refugee or not is specified in law. Moreover, it often directly relates to that child's legal status at the time. It is highly likely that if you are fostering a refugee child, you are actually caring for an Unaccompanied Migrant Child. But you could equally be looking
Tags: fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering refugees, fostering Suffolk, Fostering unacomapnied asylum seeking children, Refugee Week
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Becoming a foster carer: 5 things you should know
Lucy Stevens - 28th May 2019
Becoming a foster carer will change your life. Here are 5 things you should know. Fostering is hard but rewarding Becoming a foster carer is one of the bravest steps you can take. It is a job that takes place in your home, 24/7. Fostering will require you to make changes to your life. Not only will you be fostering the most vulnerable children in society but you will be working within a difficult system too. It's hard work. BUT the rewards are beyond anything you could expect in any other job. If you're in two minds about fostering, simply ask yourself, "in what other job can I transform lives?" With the right support, from the right fostering agency, fostering
Tags: becoming a foster carer, becoming a foster family, becoming a fostering family, families who foster, foster care, foster carer, fostering, fostering agencies near me, fostering agency, fostering application, fostering assessment, fostering babies; #ProudToFoster, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering families, fostering in Peterborough, fostering provider, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, how can I foster?, how do I become a foster carer, how to foster
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