One group of women that often go unrecognized are foster carers in the UK, who provide a safe and nurturing home for children in need. Foster carers are individuals or couples who offer their love and support to children who, for a variety of reasons, cannot live with...
One group of women that often go unrecognized are foster carers in the UK, who provide a safe and nurturing home for children in need. Foster carers are individuals or couples who offer their love and support to children who, for a variety of reasons, cannot live with their birth families. These...
I have fostered some lovely young people, of all ages. My last young person T left me 5 years ago...
I check emails and sort my to do list before I get my family out of bed, followed not long...
I take a first look at my emails for anything that has come in overnight that might need my...
2020 has been a rollercoaster year for everyone. There have been some unexpected twists and turns but reflecting on the year there have been some remarkable collaboration and achievements despite what Covid 19 threw at us all. We have been blown away by our very own heroes.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, according to Barnardo’s, we saw, nationwide, a 44% increase in the number of children requiring foster care. The increased pressure on families, because of job losses, worsening mental health and deepening poverty, has resulted in more children facing neglect and abuse. A predicted second wave of Covid-19 sees further increases expected in the numbers of children who will come in to care through no fault of their own. Many people have considering fostering as a potential career change. Allowances paid to foster carers combined with tax benefits are enabling people who have lost their job as a result of the economic downturn, to feel, that by fostering, they could replace their lost earnings. Enquiries have been received, about fostering, from people who have reassessed their lives through lockdown, and realised what they value in life and as a result are now seeing fostering as something worthwhile that can work with their new way of living, or simply as a way to give something back.
Routine is something many parents strive to offer their children right from the day they come into the world.
Establishing routine and maintaining boundaries for children in their care are areas we support and encourage our foster carers to develop too. When lockdown occurred in March and schools were closed, normality, as far as routine was concerned, ceased for most children and young people. For parents too, the usual routines ceased as mums, dads, and carers, started homeschooling alongside parenting and for a great many all whilst working either from home, or on the frontline too.
