Fostering News: How social workers can keep children in contact with foster carers after adoption25/2/2016
Sophie Boswell and Lynne Cudmore explain how social workers can help adopted children maintain attachments In the flurry of excitement before a child is moved to be adopted, the fact they are losing a parent figure seems to get overlooked. Our research showed that during this time levels of anxiety within the adopters and foster carers are extremely high. Despite the best intentions of professionals and others involved it is difficult for to keep in mind some fundamental facts about attachment and loss in young children. Such as:
Many people are involved in decision-making during these moves, but there is no one person with overall responsibility for ensuring these principles are kept in mind. Social workers have a crucial role in providing clear guidance and support to foster carers and adopters so that the children’s emotional needs remain central during every stage of an adoptive move.
Regular and frequent visits from former carers, probably quite short at first, should be taken as the norm. These should become less intensive over the following months as children settle and become attached to their new parents. If adopters or foster carers become anxious about potential upset during or after a contact, social workers can gently remind them that it is better to support children with their feelings, rather than give a message that distress is better avoided or denied. Where actual contact is not possible other ways can be found for ensuring the foster carer remains an ongoing presence in the children’s lives. In an ideal scenario the carers will gradually assume an ‘auntie’ or grandparent–like role.
Sensitive ongoing support and guidance from a social worker can ensure foster carers and adopters take on the task of providing as much continuity and joined-up thinking as possible over the transition and beyond. This will give the child the message that both old and new attachments are important and have a place in their life. It will also mitigate against the pain of torn loyalties or having to shut down memories of people they have loved.
Foster carers should be encouraged to remain in children’s lives, albeit in the background. Social workers will have a crucial part to play in supporting foster carers who may find this upsetting, and in reminding all parties that this can help new attachments being formed with adoptive parents.
Although they are trained in attachment and loss prior to placement, we suggest that social workers also provide adopters with extra help in understanding their children’s emotional needs post-placement. This should include recognition of the ‘compliant’ child who may appear to be fine but may have cut themselves off from their feelings, as described above.
Social workers can play a crucial role in holding this in mind and helping others to do so, resisting the temptation to be relieved rather than worried when a child in this situation appears to be ‘fine’. A child who is not showing their feelings will need the support of sensitive, emotionally available adults who can be aware of, and hold on to, feelings that the child may be finding frightening or overwhelming. Sophie Boswell and Lynne Cudmore are child psychotherapists and author of the report: ‘The children were fine': acknowledging complex feelings in the move from foster care into adoption. Source: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2016/02/25/social-workers-can-keep-children-contact-foster-carers-adoption/ Private equity companies among those profiting from foster placements for Coventry children Council bosses were forced to pay out more than £10million of taxpayers money to fostering agencies in 2014 because of a shortage of carers. Agencies pay foster carers a higher allowance than the council - meaning more people choose to look after youngsters in need through them. As a result the council has to turn to those agencies for support, spending £10,515,723 looking after children who can’t live with their parents because of neglect, abuse, bereavement or breakdown of relationships. In Scotland making a profit from finding foster carers is against the law - but in England it’s legal. One national agency made a profit of £14.4m in 2014-15. Chairman of the Coventry branch of union Unison and convenor for social services George Sands said: “If someone is disadvantaged and private companies are making a profit out of that then there is something fundamentally wrong with society.” The city council regularly campaigns for more foster carers and adopters to come forward to help youngsters - with a special evening to encourage more to join being held next week in Canley. Some children in care are fostered with carers recruited by the council and others through agencies. Agencies pay foster carers higher allowances so the majority of carers opt to foster through an agency. That leaves the council struggling to directly recruit carers and forced to use agencies. An agency placement costs on average £739 compared with a council placement at £430. Coun Ed Ruane, city council cabinet member housing and heritageCoun Ed Ruane, city council cabinet member housing and heritage Coun Ed Ruane (Lab, Henley), Coventry City Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “This is what happens if you allow the private sector into the care industry to make profits out of misfortunes in kids’ lives.” In 2014 Coventry City Council paid £662,930 to the National Foster Care Agency which at the time was owned by private equity company Graphite Capital. The National Foster Care Agency paid Graphite Capital £14.4m from fostering operations around the country in 2014 to 2015. The council also paid £338,143 to fostering agency Swiis (c). The company, which operates around the country and also has health and other social work operations, paid £1.5m in 2014 to 2015 to the family which owns it. And Foster Care Associates, which was paid £945,092 in 2014 by Coventry City Council, paid £7m in dividends in 2014 to 2015 to its holding company. Some of the foster care agencies used by the council are charities and don’t make a profit. Source: Coventry Telegraph Agencies are keen to recruit more young carers, particularly for homes of teenagers, disabled children and sibling groups Hannah Perry is used to people looking surprised when she tells them she’s a foster carer. She signed up to it when she was 18, and although that was 10 years ago she’s still a good deal younger than the majority of people who foster – three-quarters of whom are over 45. “I’d have applied even earlier if I could,” she says, explaining that she was initially inspired by her own mother. “My mum used to work in care homes, and when I was a young teenager she and my dad started taking in adults with learning disabilities. I loved it because their mental age was similar to mine and so we enjoyed the same sort of things, like bowling and going to the cinema. A few years later, Mum got approached by Barnardo’s to do some respite work for children with learning disabilities and I enjoyed it even more. We were already a close family, but the house just came alive.” Hannah, who is one of a new and growing breed of young foster carers, was by now studying at college for a childcare qualification, but she spent most of her spare time with the foster children. “I played with them, helped dress and feed them and took them to places like soft play and the park. They were happy days. Mostly, they’d stay a few days to give their families or other carers a short break; but one boy, who is very autistic and severely epileptic, stayed and became my foster brother.” Despite her youth, nobody in Hannah’s family was surprised when, just a few days after her 18th birthday, she registered with Barnardo’s to become a foster carer herself – although it was when she moved out a couple of years later that she was able to take on children overnight. The application process was long and arduous, admits Hannah. “It’s a big responsibility, so you have to be prepared for a lot of paperwork and digging into your family history. And, of course, there were extra questions about my age. But I think there are benefits to being younger: I have more energy and it’s still relatively fresh in my mind what it’s like to be a child. I relate to the children well because of that.” Since then, Hannah’s seen it all – kids hurling their food around restaurants, full-on tantrums from children who look old enough to know better and aggressive behaviour that can make other parents twitchy. “Sometimes people are nice and give you a supportive smile; other times, especially with the autistic behaviours, you get ‘the look’. They don’t understand why a 13-year-old is sitting in a two-year-old’s car or why they’re banging their head against a wall or biting themselves. But it goes over my head, if I’m honest. I draw on my training – of which you get a lot as a foster carer – and instincts to focus on the child and find ways to calm them down, making sure they feel safe and secure.” There are those who are disparaging when Hannah tells them she’s a foster carer. “Many say things like, ‘Aren’t you a bit young?’ or they ask why I haven’t settled down with my own family first. But I don’t even want my own kids: the rewards of this are too big. Seeing these children achieve things you never thought possible – signing so they can communicate at last or seeing them bounce properly on a trampoline for the first time, for example – are unbeatable for me,” explains Hannah. While much of her work is respite, and fits around her day job as a teaching assistant, Hannah wound up taking on one little girl for 180 nights a year. “She is autistic and non-verbal, very much locked in her own little world, and was seven when she started coming for respite. When the shared-care arrangement, as it’s called, came up, I jumped at the chance because there was something about her that I just fell in love with, and I felt I could make a difference to her life.” Many foster carers are starting to think about retiring over the next 10 to 15 years, the Fostering Network says; so it is trying to recruit more young carers, particularly to offer homes to teenagers, children with disabilities and groups of brothers and sisters. The problem is that many young people rule themselves out. The Fostering Network’s research shows that only 22 per cent of people aged 18-25 think they would even be accepted as foster carers, were they to apply within the next two years. “There are a lot of myths around, with people often assuming they need experience of parenting or caring for vulnerable children, having to be married or owning their own home – none of which is true,” says Brenda Farrell, head of fostering and adoption at Barnardo’s. “What’s important is not age, but the ability to provide love, stability and security, as well as having a strong motivation to foster. As it happens, many people come to us in their early twenties with considerably more relevant life experiences than people twice their age.” Also problematic is that some foster agencies won’t take carers under the age of, say, 25 or 21, she adds – although that is changing. Although all foster carers get an allowance so that they’re not out of pocket, only half of them get paid. “But it can be so rewarding in other ways,” says Jackie Sanders, director of the Fostering Network. Unless the right foster carers can be found, children often have to move a long way from family, friends and school, be moved from home to home, or be separated from their siblings. “Finding the right foster carer, on the other hand, can provide stability and turn children’s lives around.” Sanders points out that younger people are in a particularly good position to offer homes for long-term fostering, often until a child is 21. Others may prefer the idea of shorter-term care, including short-breaks care, emergency care (where you might get a call in the middle of the night because of a home alone situation) or short-term care (where a single parent might need to go into hospital or someone might be waiting to be adopted). You can also specialise, for example in remand fostering, caring for asylum seekers, neonatal care, children with disabilities or mother and baby placements. Lois Jones, who was 14 when she was placed with a 21-year-old foster carer, says: “I believed Sarah when she said she knew how I felt about a lot of things because I knew it wasn’t long ago since she was my age. That helped us build a bond. Also, we like some of the same bands, clothes and that kind of thing.” Amy Marshall, who is 23 and going through the fostering application process with her boyfriend, says she can’t wait to start. Like Hannah, Amy’s motivation was her own mother. “She has been a foster carer for over 30 years, which means I was brought up alongside lots of children. My sister and I loved always having someone to play with.” One child stayed, as in Hannah’s case. “When I was four, my foster sister, who is autistic, moved in. Seeing the difference Mum has made to her life really inspired me. She just wouldn’t be in the same place today if it hadn’t been for her: she can travel independently, she’s studying and she’s gaining work experience. So after I’d done my degree – initially training to be a drama therapist – I decided to apply to Barnardo’s to be a support worker for children. And now that my partner and I have moved into our own place and have a spare room, fostering feels like a natural progression.” One 12-year-old boy, whose mother is terminally ill and can’t take him out, joins Amy and her boyfriend for bowling and dinner out every Wednesday night. She knows that, if she’s approved to foster, she’ll do a lot more of this. “It gives him a chance to hang out with people who care, and gives us a chance to have fun in ways that maybe we wouldn’t if it was just us. The benefits really do go both ways.” For more information, visit couldyoufoster.org.uk orbarnardos.org.uk/fostering Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/foster-care-parent-explains-benefits-of-fostering-work-both-ways-a6887736.html CoramBAAF welcomes Lord Freud's recognition in a recent House of Lords debate that 'the case was overwhelming’ in kinship carers and adopters being exempt from the limiting of tax credits to two children. The new ruling means that families who become kinship carers or adopt will no longer lose out on benefits as a result of enlarging their families in this way. Dr John Simmonds OBE, CoramBAAF’s Director of Policy, Research and Development, said: "With 22 per cent of kinship carers having three or more children in their household and approximately 200,000 children currently in kinship care in the UK, there are around 29,000 large families with kin children. Of these, 63 per cent are currently receiving child tax credit, so around 18,000 households would be negatively affected by a limitation on tax credits. "For those children who are waiting to be adopted, their wait will be even longer, or in fact may not happen at all, if they are brothers and sisters rather than single children. These sibling groups need all the support available to increase their chances of a stable loving family home." He added: "We are very pleased that the government has chosen to support adopters and kinship carers in this way and recognise their critical importance to children's and young people's stability, sense of belonging and wellbeing and associated benefits on life chances and opportunities." Source: http://corambaaf.org.uk/node/8139 Artwork by children who have been fostered will be the focus of an art gallery being launched this valentines weekend in Aberdeen's Union Square Mall. Come and see our work of heart this valentines weekend - Our fostering North service will be launching their first-ever Heart Gallery entitled 'Children who wait'. The gallery will showcase artwork by local fostered children. Foster carers and staff will be on site to answer any questions you have about fostering on Saturday 13 February between 10am and 6pm and on Sunday 14 February 11am - 5pm. And for the young at heart, Party Box will have a giant dinosaur roaming and pony cycles to ride. Help us heal hearts this valentines. At Barnardo’s we believe there are no unwanted children just unfound families. Could you be one? Kim McPherson, Children Service Manager, promotes fostering across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire for Barnardo's Scotland, she said: "Every piece of work featured in the Heart Gallery has been created by a child or young person living in foster care in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. We hope the gallery will give people an insight to what it's like for our children in foster care". Anyone interested in finding out more about fostering or adoption can get in touch with their local Barnardo's foster care or adoption team. Barnardo's Scotland supports foster carers and adopters every step of the way, so they don't do it alone. Find out more by calling Freephone 0800 0277 280 or at www.barnardos.org.uk/fosteringand adoption Source: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/news/Fostering-charity-launch-the-Heart-Gallery-Children-who-wait---come-along-and-see-our-work-of-Heart/press_releases.htm?ref=113620 THE Children’s Family Trust charity is providing further support to Bromsgrove families after purchasing its first head office in Stoke Prior. The independent charity will use its new headquarters to give children and families a safe environment to meet with their birth parents. David Homer, head of finance at The Children’s Family Trust, said: “The new head office means that we can now provide better facilities for our staff, carers and children. We’ve been able to use the additional space for foster carer training, meetings and recruitment panels.” The trust has expanded its team since purchasing the new office and has since recruited a principal social worker, a supporting social worker and an administration apprentice. The charity bought the office thanks to a six-figure commercial mortgage from HSBC, and has since updated its five-year plan to increase the number of foster carers and children placed within the trust, and also plans to set up another office in the West Midlands. Andrew Willett, HSBC’s area director for business banking in the South West Midlands, said: “The Children’s Family Trust is an ambitious charity with plans to invest for further growth. “This funding has enabled them to expand their team and provide quality facilities for their staff, carers and children. We look forward to working with the charity to expand its reach in the West Midlands and beyond.” The Children’s Family Trust has provided foster care to 300 children in the past ten years. For information on becoming a foster parent, contact The Children’s Family Trust on 0300 111 1945. Source: http://www.bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk/news/14230482.Children___s_charity_buys_first_headquarters_in_Stoke_Prior/ Fostering News: Foster carer: ‘When you’re suddenly classed as not mattering it’s devastating’11/2/2016
A foster carer and young person open up about their experiences of being denied contact after the placement broke down Chrissy, now 17, was placed in foster care with Bev and Clive when she was 5 years old, but when she was 11 the placement broke down due to problems, such as throwing things and trashing the house, which had become unmanageable. After the breakdown, Bev and Clive did say they would like to maintain contact if Chrissy wished and said that, after a short amount of time, they started to ask about how they could be supported to help her return to living with them. “We were mum and dad, we were her family, she was known by our surname, and she just kept saying ‘I want to go home.’” But it wasn’t until Chrissy was 16 that they started having regular contact again. No reason “Every single time I saw my social worker I would ask. Every single review I had I would ask. No-one ever gave me a reason other than we don’t think it’s appropriate,” Chrissy says about trying to see her foster parents after the placement broke down. This past week the issue of facilitating contact between young people and their former foster carers has been raised by The Fostering Network report ‘Keep Connected’, which found carers and young people were being prevented from contact after the placement ended, something experienced by Bev, Clive and Chrissy. ‘She’s not settling’ “We naively expected to have contact with her, and initially we had contact, but when they moved her back they stopped all contact and said she needed to settle. ‘She’s not settling, she can’t have contact with you,’” Bev remembers. They went to court get contact, but later found that the order which they thought guaranteed them contact twice a year “wasn’t a valid order”. Bev says that when they pushed for contact, they were met with a chorus of “it isn’t in the child’s best interests”, something Bev compares to a “get-out clause”. Chrissy says social workers told her Bev and Clive didn’t want to see her. It was always the couple’s intention to retire after Chrissy left their care, and this information was relayed as a reason not to pursue contact a couple of months after the breakdown, and after the pair told their fostering agency they couldn’t take on any more children. Bev says they sent letters to her that never arrived, and indirect contact was closely managed. ‘She never forgot our phone number’ “When she moved to a residential unit, every now and again our phone would ring – she never forgot our phone number – when she first moved before the social workers had managed to tell the workers we weren’t allowed any contact. [The workers] were concerned because she was crying for us so they said she could have a phone conversation,” Bev explains. “It was almost like she was policed all the time.” Throughout this period, things got harder for Chrissy. Troubles with the police were punctuated with depression. “I started getting really depressed and self-harming, because no-one was listening to me or letting me see my family.” During her time in Bev and Clive’s home, they had moved outside of the local authority, and this became an issue when the placement broke down and Chrissy was moved back. “Had she been local they wouldn’t have been able to stop her, she would have found her way to us,” Bev says. The problem, as Bev sees it, was that “nobody ever really listened” to Chrissy when she was young. “She says now how different she would have been had she not moved on. There’s a real sadness about that loss really, and I think the local authority just deny these children contact because they are [only] legally obliged to make sure they have contact with those with legal rights…We’re more her family – she doesn’t see anyone in her birth family now, and they just don’t get that. There needs to be some law that changes that and says they have to consider foster carers.” ‘Devastating’ It wasn’t until Chrissy approached 16, and a new social worker became involved, that progress was made. “The social worker she had then saw [the case] and said ‘I’m not interested in anything that’s been said in the past but I know she wants to see you’ – and she’s started coming back.” While Chrissy now enjoys weekends back with Bev and Clive every three to four weeks, it doesn’t get past an experience Bev calls “devastating”. Chrissy says the experience, after having already lost her biological family, “was just like losing another one all over again”. Bev says: “Most foster carers give their all. You know you’re not their birth parents but when they are with you, you do everything you can to make things good for them. So when you’re suddenly classed as not mattering it’s devastating.” Source: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2016/02/11/foster-carer-youre-suddenly-classed-mattering-devastating/ Wales’ leading fostering charity – TACT Cymru, has been praised for its outstanding work with carers and looked after children in a report by The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) – the independent regulator of care and social service related settings in Wales. Following an annual inspection of TACT by the CSSIW, its’ report states that foster carers were highly complementary of the staff in TACT and said that the charity went the ‘extra mile’. Foster carers described the support from their supervising social workers as ‘excellent ’and ‘supportive’ and ‘amazing’. One set of foster carers who had a difficult placement said that if it had not been for the support from TACT and their supervising social worker they would have given up fostering. In summing up TACT the CSSIW said: “Overall, we found that children and young people and foster carers are supported by experienced and motivated staff that are committed to make a positive difference to the lives of looked after children and young people”. The CSSIW also noted the high quality of foster carers that TACT works with, stating that it found children and young people can be confident that they are supported by foster carers who are motivated, competent and promoted the physical, emotional and social development of looked after children. Mike Anthony – one of two area managers for TACT Cymru said:” We are delighted that TACT’s work has been so positively rated by the CSSIW. And we are particularly pleased that our amazing foster carers have been acknowledged for their commitment to improving vulnerable children and young people’s lives. Foster carers come to TACT for many reasons, they stay with us because we help them do the most rewarding job in the world.” Some of the wide range of TACT services and activities that were positively highlighted in the report include:
There are thousands of children in Wales who cannot be looked after by their own family. This could be because of illness or family breakdowns or because they have experienced some form of neglect. TACT are actively looking for foster carers across Wales to provide care and support to these children. If you’ve got a spare room, a caring nature and energy to provide a child with a happy home, we believe you could become an amazing foster carer. For further fostering information go to http://tactcare.org.uk/fostering/ Source: http://tactcare.org.uk/news/tact-cymru-praised-for-its-outstanding-work-by-the-care-and-social-services-inspectorate-wales-cssiw/ Community Care Inform Children's new knowledge and practice hub helps social workers work with children in foster care A comprehensive resource to help social workers manage foster care placements to best meet the needs of children has been launched on Community Care Inform Children. The hub has both in-depth and quick guides on how to make placements, facilitate contact and meet a child’s educational needs. How social workers can use therapeutic parenting and the trauma model, and better support the sons and daughters of foster carers are also among the skills the hub teaches. Social workers can also keep up to date with the latest legislation in the area with information about how fostering’s legislative framework has developed since 2011. Watch the video here to find out more. Source: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2016/02/18/manage-foster-care-placement/ You might be forgiven for thinking that fostering is something for a traditional family unit – husband, wife, and the two-point-four children taking an extra youngster under their wing during a time of crisis in their lives. All too often in the past that's how it's been portrayed. But as it makes its latest appeal for new foster carers, Bristol City Council has been keen to emphasise that fostering is open to people from all backgrounds – whether that be racial and religious backgrounds, all sexualities and marital situations. Perhaps one of the greatest misconceptions about fostering is that it is the preserve of married couples. It is far from the case, as many single foster carers in Bristol will vouch. Single mother Maria Mansaray, 52, of Totterdown, has been fostering since her mid-30s. "I stumbled into it in a way," she says. "I had two sons of my own, so I hadn't really thought about fostering. I knew a woman who was having problems with her children. She couldn't cope and her kids were going to be taken into care. "I tried to help by cleaning up her home for her. The eldest boy took to me and said he wanted to come to live with me rather than go into care. So I talked to the social workers and said I was happy for him to come to live in our house. A residency order was set up, and he stayed with me and my boys for the next seven years, until he was 16 years old and able to start a life of his own. "I'd enjoyed the experience of having him with us. He'd become part of the family, so I decided to train as a foster carer. I went through the whole process, which I was a bit nervous about at first – though there was no need to be. It was mostly about talking through my own background – making sure that I was suitable as a foster carer. They check things like your mental wellbeing and whether you have a history of criminality. "But they also work with you and talk you through many of the situations that might arise as a foster carer, and that support continued. As a foster carer I have my own social worker, as well as the fostered children's social worker. She is there to support me as the carer and talk through any issues that might arise." Maria has since offered a home to two short term foster children and three long term placements. "All the children are different," she says. "They always come from different backgrounds, have experienced different difficulties in their lives, so you have to deal with the problems each child has as they arise. "It always starts with a slightly uneasy period while the child is settling in to the family and the different way we do things from what they might otherwise be used to. But in time even the most troubled children settle down and just become part of the family. "I'm currently caring for a 16-year-old girl. She's been with us a year-and-a-half and it's wonderful to see her developing with us a bit more each day and moving on from the problems she has been through." There is plenty of support from within the fostering community – including a "buddying" programme with experienced foster carers and group support meetings. "You get given a buddy early on – an experienced foster carer who can offer you advice when you need it. I found that really valuable and now I've gone on to be a buddy for other new foster carers. "There are also group support meetings once a month when lots of foster carers get together to talk through the issues they're facing at that time. So even as a single person, you're never tackling things alone," Maria says. Caring for troubled children Veteran foster carer Kim James, 55, of Brislington is also dealing well with life as a single person fostering, after separating from her husband six years ago. "There is plenty of support there, and I've been doing this for a long time so you know what you're doing – you learn how to cope with most things," says Kim, who has been fostering since the late 1990s. In the last six years alone Kim has fostered more than 40 children – specialising in acting as an emergency short term foster carer for children in a moment of crisis. She provided a home to 17 children in one year alone and her vast experience means she often takes the most troubled young people under her wing. As a result, she faces challenges far more intense than those facing most foster carers. "Some of the youngsters have real issues that they're dealing with," she says. "Whether it's conditions like autism, ADHD or just coming to terms with the problems of their past. So inevitably there can be difficult moments to get through – it can be a rollercoaster. There was one youngster who pulled a knife on me once, another who I found in the bathroom with a noose around her neck. They have often had troubled lives and need a lot of support and care. "But I never feel threatened by the children or overcome by the challenge of helping them. It's just so rewarding when you get them through the hardest times and get them back on the right track. "As well as taking on one emergency foster place at any one time, I also care for three girls who are older now – 18, 20 and 21 – but who have been fostered with me for a long term run through much of their childhood. "I reckon I'll keep fostering for a few more years yet," Kim adds. "I started originally because we had raised four children of our own, so I knew I could deal with it. There have been plenty of challenges along the way. But it's always incredibly rewarding to know you have helped in their lives." Bristol City Council is renewing its call for people to consider fostering in 2016 as the number of fostered children across the UK hits record levels. The Fostering Network estimates that another 9,000 new foster families across the UK will be needed in 2016 with 600 being sought in our region alone. Bristol City Council is running an LGBT adoption and fostering event in March to encourage fostering from a broader range of backgrounds. There is also currently a particular need for families who are able to provide a home to older children, sibling groups, children with disabilities and foster families from black and minority ethnic communities. Councillor Brenda Massey, Assistant Mayor for People with responsibility for Fostering and Adoption Services, said: "These latest figures from the Fostering Network show how needed foster carers are to provide a loving and safe home to some of the most vulnerable young people in society." I would like to encourage all in Bristol to consider the joy and reward of opening up their home to a child in need of that love and security. "Throughout the year, Bristol City Council's Fostering and Adoption team will be holding events to provide advice and guidance to those interested in fostering. I urge anyone thinking of fostering or just curious about this rewarding opportunity, to make contact and come along to one." The LGBT Adoption and Fostering Event will be held at At-Bristol, Anchor Way, BS1 5DB on March 10, from 7pm to 9pm. For more information visit bristol.gov.uk/fostering Source: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/8203-Fostering-just-open-married-couples/story-28700667-detail/story.html |
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