Blogs
Veronica has been a foster carer for almost 12 years. Together with her husband, she currently cares for two young women, one of which is an asylum seeking teenager who arrived in the UK all by herself when she was 16. In this blog Veronica tells us what this is like and why the two women are such a good match.
All names in this blog have been changed for anonymity.
Sunflower was only 16 when she came to the UK after being forced to leave her family, her home country and everything she knew. When she arrived, she was alone and didn’t speak any English. A year later she has learnt the language, settled in and started dreaming about the future. A testimony of young people’s resilience and the importance of foster care.
All names in this blog have been changed for anonymity.
When the UK entered lockdown as result of the coronavirus, almost all family time (contact) arrangements moved from being face-to-face to virtual. As lockdown begins to ease, albeit at different paces in the countries of the UK, new challenges are arising as face-to-face contact resumes. The Fostering Network has produced some checklists for foster carers and social workers to support services and carers through this process.
In order to capture learning from the virtual contact that has been taking place and to discuss what needs to be considered as face-to-face contact recommences, The Fostering Network has held a series of webinars open to foster carers, social workers and other professionals.
FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) affects children in care disproportionately, but it's little understood.
Sue and Tony Sharp are long-term foster carers looking after twin 10-year-old boys with a diagnosis of FASD along with a number of other diagnoses - and all this on top of the trauma the boys experienced in their early years.
This is the last in a series of four blogs about FASD and trauma, based on a briefing that Sue and Tony developed in association with The National Organisation for FASD and the East Hertfordshire and Area FASD Support Network.
Read the other blogs:
- An interview with Sue and Tony
- Understanding FASD
- FASD and trauma (part 1)
- You can read more about FASD on our web page.
FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) affects children in care disproportionately, but it's little understood.
Sue and Tony Sharp are long-term foster carers looking after twin 10-year-old boys with a diagnosis of FASD along with a number of other diagnoses - and all this on top of the trauma the boys experienced in their early years.
This is the third in a series of four blogs about FASD and trauma, based on a briefing that Sue and Tony developed in association with The National Organisation for FASD and the East Hertfordshire and Area FASD Support Network.
Read the other blogs:
- An interview with Sue and Tony
- Understanding FASD
- FASD and trauma (part 2) - top tips
- You can read more about FASD on our web page.
FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) affects children in care disproportionately, but it's little understood.
Sue and Tony Sharp are long-term foster carers looking after twin 10-year-old boys with a diagnosis of FASD along with a number of other diagnoses - and all this on top of the trauma the boys experienced in their early years.
This is the second in a series of four blogs about FASD and trauma, based on a briefing that Sue and Tony developed in association with The National Organisation for FASD and the East Hertfordshire and Area FASD Support Network.
Read the other blogs:
- An interview with Sue and Tony
- FASD and trauma (part 1)
- FASD and trauma (part 2) - top tips
- You can read more about FASD on our web page.
FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) affects children in care disproportionately, but it's little understood.
Sue and Tony Sharp are long-term foster carers looking after twin 10-year-old boys with a diagnosis of FASD along with a number of other diagnoses - and all this on top of the trauma the boys experienced in their early years.
This interview with Sue and Tony is the first in a series of four blogs about FASD and trauma, based on a briefing that Sue and Tony developed in association with The National Organisation for FASD and the East Hertfordshire and Area FASD Support Network.
Read the other blogs:
- Understanding FASD
- FASD and trauma (part 1)
- FASD and trauma (part 2) - top tips
- You can read more about FASD on our web page.
Daisy Elliott, our policy and research officer, follows up with Professor Beth Neil about her research into facilitating contact during lockdown. Neil's research, funded by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, provides a valuable insight into challenges and benefits regarding contact and what is crucial when contact is moved to an online space.
My name is Elle. I am a 19 year old, currently in a ‘staying put’ arrangement and living the lockdown life. If I had to introduce myself I would tell you about my interest in fitness and sports (I am utterly mediocre at both) and I would tell you about my love of singing and dancing despite having stage fright. I’d say that I’m intelligent (only because my foster parents would tell you so) and I would especially tell you that I am funny. Because I am.
Educating at home poses a challenge to many families currently. Here Nuala Fitzpatrick, a qualified teacher and project worker on The Fostering Attainment and Achievement project in Northern Ireland, shares her top tips on how foster carers can support their 11-14 year old’s (Key Stage Three 3) learning at home during the coronavirus outbreak.
