Did you know that as foster carer, you can foster both a parent and their children?  It’s called PACT (Parents And Children Together), and there is a great need for PACT trained foster carers.  Jane, one of FCC’s Supervising Social Workers and PACT trainer, explains why.

As a Supervising Social Worker for FCC I have supported many foster carers providing a variety of placements.

Recently, we have provided an increased number of Parent and Child placements. This is where a parent is placed alongside their child in the foster home. This can be one or two parents and a baby or a child. We have also had a mother and two children placed with us. This type of fostering is very different to the usual placement of a child or young person in the family home but is as equally rewarding.

Often these placements have been requested by the court where there have been concerns about the mother’s ability to parent and are usually requested for a 12 week assessment period, but due to circumstances this can vary.

Issues that we have dealt with include concerns around a parent’s previous drug or alcohol use, learning disabilities or inappropriate partners. Maybe the parent has previously had a child removed from their care. Having a parent live in the foster home gives them a chance to learn new skills and build their confidence to enable them to parent their child adequately.

Carers assist them with learning routines with regards to feeding, laundry, play and sleep times etc. Parents are involved in all aspects of family life with the carers acting as appropriate role models. Parents have been supported to attend local baby groups, visit the clinic and doctors etc. They have taken part in family activities to include meals out, cinema and barbeques. The carers need good observation and recording skills. They need good communication skills as they will need to build a relationship with the parent but also remain clear that they have to report back to the Social Worker on a regular basis.

We have seen children return with their parents to live in the community successfully with some keeping in contact with their carers afterwards. Sometimes this is not possible and the child’s needs have to remain the most important throughout. If the plan is for the child to live elsewhere the foster carers have an important role in supporting them to transition to a new family. Myself and an experienced PACT carer provide training and support specific to this role. PACT carers will have regular Social Work visits and 24 hour phone support. They will also have peer support from other PACT carers. It can be hard work but also very rewarding knowing that you have been part of a team making the best decision for a child.

One of our most experienced PACT carers said: “The thing I enjoy about PACT placements is that I’m not the babysitter. It’s my job to encourage the parent to be a good mum or dad and it’s rewarding watching them learn new skills.”

If you feel that you could become a PACT foster carer, or if you have an interest in fostering generally, you can make an initial enquire here.

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

We’re thrilled to be able to allocate our charitable fund to The Spark Foundation, a charity that offers grants to children in care and care leavers. 

We wanted to choose a charity that not only aligned with our values, ethics and approaches, but would also enable us to help care-experienced children on a national scale.

The Spark Foundation aims to give young people in care and care leavers the same chances as everyone else. They do this by providing one-off grants, giving young people a helping hand when they most need it.

Sam Ram, FCC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Spark Foundation are offering a lifeline to young care leavers who may not have any one else to turn to. We know what a huge, and in some cases life-changing, difference these grants make to the lives of young care leavers. It is with great pleasure that we are able to assist the foundation in their excellent work.”

You can read some of the thank you letters and notes received by Spark here.

To make a donation to The Spark Foundation, click here.

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

At The Foster Care Co-operative (FCC) we remain committed in supporting our children, current foster carers and anyone who may be interested in fostering in the future. This means that despite the current lockdown measures, FCC’s wealth of knowledge and experience is still here for you!

We moved to working from home for all staff members to prevent spreading the COVID-19 virus.  Despite recent lockdown easing announced by our Prime Minister, we are continuing to work from home at the current time. However, you can continue to reach us as normal on our central office telephone numbers and 24hr support remains in place at all times.

Now, more than ever in these uncertain times, we need your help.  Children are in desperate need of care.  You could make a real difference to a child’s life. 

New foster carer enquires and applications, are very welcome and the following steps are in place:

• All new foster carer applications can be processed online, from the comfort of your own home.
• Any physical visits that would normally be required can be performed online via video chats.
• FCC are always here for you, via the telephone, video conferencing and email – to answer any questions you may have.

Additionally, as applications can take between six and eight months, now is a great time to apply. 

Why not make a no-obligation enquiry HERE to see if you qualify?

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

At FCC, we have always prided ourselves on being diverse and inclusive, where all our members are treated fairly and equally – regardless of ethnicity, religious belief, gender or sexual preference.

Our article, entitled Fostering Diversity and Inclusion, details why we need diverse foster carers to come forward to care for vulnerable children. 

We’re also undertaking racism, discrimination and intolerance training on an agency-wide scale.  This means that all staff, foster carers, panel members and board members will complete this training – which has a specific focus on young people within the care system, and the effects that any kind of discrimination can have on them.

Many of our members work directly with children, so would already be equipped with the skills and experience to identify, manage, and take the appropriate actions if confronted with any racism, discrimination and intolerance.  However, at FCC we felt it was important for all our members to undergo this training.

​Source
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

As we all know, family life over the past few months has been challenging.  Everyone has had to alter the way they approach life and everyday tasks such as work, play and communication.  Ever-changing rules and regulations from the government have inevitably caused stress and confusion, with a sense of having to ‘cope’ under such bizarre circumstances.

Many companies and organisations have either ground to a temporary halt, or are existing using limited resources.  Many people are still currently working remotely, where possible, with no date yet on the horizon as to when society will return to relative normality.

So where does fostering fit in with the current pandemic?

Well, fostering doesn’t just stop.  It can’t. It’s not a ‘nice to have’, or an activity that can be resumed at a later date.  Foster carers are, in effect, Key Workers – providing an essential care service in a variety of situations.  They are also amazing, highly skilled and highly adaptable people who make a difference to children’s lives every single day.

All of the foster carers here at The Foster Care Co-operative are wonderful, but we have a few specific ‘shout-outs’ to these incredible people:

Laura & Glenn are currently home-schooling six children, three of which are children in care.

Dawn has also home schooled and kept her 4 young people busy with home activities.

Jane & Chris have worked closely with their local school to maintain the education of a child placed with them.  They are currently home-schooling this young person, and are using their skills to help maintain the placement.

Two couples, Keith & Tracy and Lisa & Wayne, accepted newly fostered children into their homes during lockdown.  They have worked closely with local authorities to ensure smooth transitions for the children, and have supported contact between the children and their parents via Zoom conference calling.

Marie has managed to complete essential training online.

This is just a snapshot of achievements, of our foster carers adapting to a temporary new way of life in order to continue to provide care, guidance and education to vulnerable young people. 

Thank you to the daughters and sons of our foster carers, who have had to share the care and guidance they get from their parents with other young people in their home, more than ever before.

And thank you to the young people we provide care for, who have shown time and time again how adaptable they are in such unusual circumstances.  Circumstances that were already unusual for them from the outset.

Fostering doesn’t stop.  If you feel that you could make a difference to a child’s life, why not make a no-obligation enquiry here.

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

​Zoom, the teleconferencing company, have recently reported that profits are soaring as workers across the world are conducting their meetings and briefings using the online tool.

The Covid-19 pandemic, as we are all aware, has resulted in social-distancing, working from home where possible, with rules and guidance from the government changing week-by-week.  It’s therefore hardly surprising that organisations on a global scale have embraced the technology, meaning that you can look your colleagues in the eye (or at least in the general direction of the eye, due to the camera position!) rather than settling for the traditional telephone conference call arrangements.  It’s a way of establishing a consistent communication tool that is inclusive of those still working in an office environment, and those working remotely.

Never has this technology been more useful than in the fostering sector.  In times of crisis, such as the current pandemic, fostering doesn’t stop – and the need for new foster carers is just as great.  Maybe even greater.

Here at The Foster Care Co-operative (FCC), the Zoom technology has played a huge part – and has helped us continue to operate as normal.  While FCC has three main offices in Worcestershire, Cardiff and Greater Manchester, the majority of our social worker staff teams have always worked remotely – enabling us to cover wide areas of England and Wales.  Even outside of the current pandemic, this video conferencing technology has proven useful.

But we’ve gone much further than that.  We’ve been able to facilitate virtual foster carer support groups, involving our foster carers and social workers.  These support groups are a chance for foster carers to share their thoughts and experiences with other carers, as well as FCC staff.  During one such session, one of our student placement social workers was able to deliver some training she had prepared on gang culture.  She was able to screen-share her electronic presentation with the other participants using the Zoom facility, making the training just as engaging and interactive as if the participants were sat in the same room.

Elsewhere, we are able to continue to recruit new foster carers, replacing the traditional initial social worker visit to the applicant’s home with a virtual visit.  Meetings between applicants and the social workers conducting their assessments can also continue in this way – as well as panel meetings that have the final say on foster carer approval.  All can be achieved virtually using this technology.

Of course once lockdown has ended, and we all go back to relative normality, those traditional face-to-face meetings and visits will be resumed.  But we’re so proud of our staff, foster carers and the children they support for the adjustments they have made during these challenging times, along with the embracement of teleconferencing technology as a communication tool.  This has not only enabled foster carer recruitment to continue, but has ensured that we can continue to provide care and support to our foster carers, children and staff.

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

It’s Foster Care Fortnight from 11th – 24th May, a time when we celebrate the fantastic and humbling part that foster carers play in children’s lives all over the country.

That commitment to supporting and caring for children is especially important in our current climate of isolation, lockdown and caution.  Fostering doesn’t stop. It is ongoing, and it is so important that we acknowledge, celebrate and thank foster carers everywhere. 

As a not-for-profit fostering organisation, we continue to fully support our foster carers and children through this period.  We post regular resources to the two intranet areas on our website (Carer and Kidz Zone), and we continue to directly support via telephone and video conferencing.

We have received some beautiful, inspiring, positive and creative photos showing works of art, made by the foster and birth children of our carers – many of which we are able to feature on our intranets.  This art has included rainbows, messages of support for our wonderful NHS and keyworkers, and even some creative baking!  A big thank you to our foster carers and children for these fantastic photos!
​

Foster Care Fortnight is also an opportunity to attract new carers.  Here at FCC, we are usually able to organise and attend a series of fostering events around the country.  These enable us to meet and have face-to-face conversations with people interested in fostering.  This gives them the chance to ask any questions they may have, whilst also introducing them to the social worker that will, in many cases, be their appointed worker throughout the application process and beyond.

Whilst we are not able to offer these events under the current restrictions, all fostering applications can be processed online, using the aforementioned video conferencing technology.  This makes it an ideal time for those interested in fostering to make a no-obligation enquiry.  The fostering application process can take between 6 and 8 months – meaning that the date of foster carer approval will most likely be when our country is at least back on track to being ‘open’ once again.

You can start your fostering journey here.

So, once again, a big thank you to our foster carers for bringing care, commitment and skill in order to help make a difference to children’s lives.

And thank you to the children too.  You are doing a fantastic job under extraordinary circumstances.

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

At The Foster Care Co-operative (FCC) we remain committed in supporting our children, current foster carers and anyone who may be interested in fostering in the future. This means that despite the current lockdown measures, FCC’s wealth of knowledge and experience is still here for you!

We have now moved to working from home for all staff members to prevent spreading the COVID-19 virus. You can continue to reach us as normal on our central office telephone numbers and 24hr support remains in place at all times.

Now, more than ever in these uncertain times, we need your help.  Children are in desperate need of care.  You could make a real difference to a child’s life. 

New foster carer enquires and applications, are very welcome and the following steps are in place:

• All new foster carer applications can be processed online, from the comfort of your own home.
  
• Any physical visits that would normally be required can be performed online via video chats.
  
• FCC are always here for you, via the telephone, video conferencing and email – to answer any questions you may have.

Additionally, as applications can take between six and eight months, now is a great time to apply. 

Why not make a no-obligation enquiry HERE to see if you qualify?

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

We are seeking to recruit two experienced and enthusiastic Supervising Social Workers for our friendly team, working primarily from home.

There is flexibility in terms of days and hours worked, and the geographical location of the successful candidates.  However, we are ideally looking for Social Workers wishing to work 22.5 hours per week.

There will be involvement in recruiting, assessing, supervising and supporting Foster Carers to support us in maintaining our quality fostering service for looked after children. The role involves recruitment of foster carers, travel to the homes of our foster carers as required (which will sometimes involve travelling distances), leading occasional projects, running and delivering training and support groups, and taking part in an ‘out of hours’ duty system (3 times a year).

Applicants need to be able to take a flexible approach to working, have proven fostering experience (demonstrating significant experience of working within Children’s Services) and be able to demonstrate outstanding people skills. Applicants must hold a Diploma or BA in Social Work (or equivalent Social Work qualification) and are required to be registered with Social Work England.

To allow our Social Workers to provide a thorough, personal and meaningful service to our fostering families, FCC believe that caseloads need to be manageable. We are a not for profit organisation, putting the needs of our children and carers first and are looking to appoint Social Workers who is as passionate about this as we are.

Application Closing Date: Monday 23rd March, 2020

For more information, including contact details, job description/ person specification and application form, visit:

https://www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk/supervising-social-worker-east-midlands/