Could you #changeafuture
Lucy Stevens - 7th May 2019
Good fostering can transform lives This May sees the start of Foster Care Fortnight, the UK’s biggest awareness raising campaign for foster care. In the UK, it is estimated that over 8000 additional fostering families are needed . “In the East of England alone, we need over 600 additional carers to allow us to provide well matched foster carers to the children who need them,” says Eleanor Vanner of Eastern Fostering Services, an agency who look after children across Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. “Every 20 minutes in the UK another child comes into care needing a fostering family; it’s vital that we have a good pool of carers for these children.” Fostering offers children and young people the opportunity for
Tags: foster care, fostering, fostering agency, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering in Essex, fostering in Peterborough, fostering in Suffolk, fostering information, fostering information events, fostering service, fostering Suffolk
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Do I get paid to foster?
Lucy Stevens - 14th November 2018
Do I get paid to foster? When it comes to fostering, money is an emotive topic of conversation. Nonetheless, people ask "Do I get paid to foster?" and in order to answer the questions we get about finances, it's a topic we’d like to address. We’d like to make it clear that good foster carers are motivated by a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of children. The best foster carers seek to nurture, love and advocate for the children in their care. In our experience, very few carers are ever motivated by money and it is very important to us that they are not. However, one cannot escape the fact that it costs money to raise
Tags: Do I get paid to foster?, Essex fostering, finances, fostering, fostering allowance, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering finances, fostering in Suffolk, fostering information, fostering money, fostering pay, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, Suffolk, Suffolk fostering
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Fostering Information Event dates for your diary
Lucy Stevens - 18th October 2018
Fostering Information Events We hold regular events for people who are seeking information about fostering. Often we have some of our carers with us who are more than happy to share their experiences of fostering. When you are looking into fostering it is important that you do as much fact finding as possible. Equally, it's vital that you get a feel for how well the agency will support you. When is the nearest fostering event to me? Keep an eye on our Facebook events page for future events around Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Equally, let us know you'd be interested in dropping in and we can arrange something with you! www.facebook.com/EasternFosteringServices/events
Tags: Essex fostering, fostering, fostering Essex, fostering in Peterborough, fostering in Suffolk, fostering information, fostering information events, how to foster, Peterborough fostering, Suffolk fostering
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Mother and baby fostering
Lucy Stevens - 24th September 2018
When people think of fostering, they often think of babies and young children. Not many people know that you can foster young mothers (or fathers) and their babies. What is Mother and baby fostering? There are some young parents who, for various reasons, may be ill-equipped for parenting. Indeed, they may have experienced chaotic, inconsistent parenting themselves as children and not have a positive role model from whom to se. Some young people are victims of sexual exploitation and may not be in a position to keep their new baby safe. Some young parents may have learning difficulties. Therefore, they need additional support to bond with and care for their children. In some cases, new parents have to overcome mental
Tags: babies, Eastern Fostering Services, fostering, fostering babies; #ProudToFoster, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering mums, fostering Suffolk, mother and baby fostering, teenagers
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Why foster?
Lucy Stevens - 6th September 2018
“Why am I doing this?” is a question all foster carers will ask themselves at some point and it’s an important question to ask yourself as it enables you to keep your motivations central to your fostering experience. So why do people foster? Most people who foster feel passionately about the wellbeing of children. They want to give opportunities to children who may not have had the best start in life; they want to share something of themselves, if you like. For many, this is not centred around sharing material wealth, this is about loving, nurturing and caring for a child and for others there is a sense that “I have so much and want to share it.” Most foster
Tags: #ProudToFoster, applying to be a foster carer, becoming a foster carer, Cambridgeshire, Eastern Fostering Services, foster carer, fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, how to foster, money for foster carers, skills to foster, Spare room, Suffolk, The Fostering Network
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The Fostering Assessment – why do we need to carry out checks?
Lucy Stevens - 26th July 2018
Eastern Fostering Services wants to recruit foster carers who can meet the individual needs of children; who can provide them with a safe and nurturing environment in which to grow. When they apply, all prospective foster carers undergo a fostering assessment which takes on average 4-6 months. Included in the fostering assessment · An initial home visit. · A medical report – carried out by the GP and paid for by EFS. · At least 3 personal references. · Identity checks including an enhanced DBS. · Previous partner references. · Health and Safety assessments. · 6-10 home visits and interviews including some with birth children and other household members. · A full Coram/BAAF form F assessment detailing the qualities, competences
Tags: applying to be a foster carer, Eastern Fostering Services, foster care, fostering, fostering agency, fostering application, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, skills to foster
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Do I get paid to be a foster carer?
Lucy Stevens - 18th July 2018
When it comes to fostering, money is an emotive and controversial topic of conversation. Nonetheless, in the interest of answering the questions we get about finances, it is a topic we’d like to address. Good foster carers are always motivated by a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of children. The best foster carers seek to nurture, love and advocate for the children in their care. In our experience, very few carers are ever motivated by financial gain and it is very important to us that they are not. However, one cannot escape the fact that it costs money to raise a child. It is for this reason that Local Authorities pay a fostering allowance to foster
Tags: do foster carers get paid?, foster care, fostering, fostering allowance, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering money, fostering Suffolk, money for foster carers
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Do I get paid to be a foster carer?
Lucy Stevens - 17th July 2018
When it comes to fostering, money is an emotive and often controversial topic of conversation. Nonetheless, in the interest of answering the questions we get about finances, it is a topic we’d like to address. We’d like to start out by making it clear that good foster carers are always motivated by a deep desire to make a positive difference in the lives of children. The best foster carers seek to nurture, love and advocate for the children in their care. In our experience, very few carers are ever motivated by financial gain and it is very important to us that they are not. However, one cannot escape the fact that it costs money to raise a child and it
Tags: #ProudToSupportFostering, applying to be a foster carer, becoming a foster carer, Cambridgeshire, Eastern Fostering Services, Essex, foster, foster care, foster carer, fostering, fostering agency, fostering application, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, how to foster, The Fostering Network
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Showing Affection
Lucy Stevens - 4th July 2018
“I was told you can’t cuddle a child or sit on their bed to read a story!” This is a comment we get all the time and in the majority of cases, it couldn’t be further from the truth. In the fostering household, we want to replicate all the positives of growing up in a nurturing family. We want children to feel listened to, cherished, nurtured and advocated for. In lots of families, this sense of security and being valued comes from physical affection too, something that many of us take for granted. One of the differences between fostering and parenting is that as a foster carer, you have to be a lot more intentional around things like physical affection.
Tags: applying to be a foster carer, becoming a foster carer, Cambridgeshire, Eastern Fostering Services, fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, how to foster, Suffolk, The Fostering Network
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Fostering and the spare room
Lucy Stevens - 29th June 2018
Do I need a spare room to foster? We've talked to many people interested in fostering in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. One of the most common questions is "Why do I need a spare room in order to foster?" The short answer is that it is a mandatory requirement to have a spare bedroom to dedicate to fostering when you apply to be a foster carer. Many people find this frustrating and we often get further questions asking us why this policy exists for foster carers. Would you move into a house and share a bedroom with a complete stranger? Moving in with a new foster family is a frightening and confusing time for children, no matter how young or
Tags: applying to be a foster carer, Cambridgeshire, Eastern Fostering Services, Essex, foster care, foster carer, fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, Spare room, Suffolk
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