![]() As we are now in September and all of our young people are back at school, we have been thrilled to receive all the photographs of our children and young people looking so smart in their uniforms – there have been lots of ‘firsts’ to celebrate which have been lovely to hear about. This feel-good Friday however, we are reflecting on the summer holiday period. Our Foster Carers and children love to tell us about all the experiences they have had, and we in turn love to share these amongst us in our team meetings and add them to our ever-growing good news tree! Many of our children have lots of anxieties and worries given their past traumas so we have been so proud of some of the achievements we have heard about over the past few weeks and here are just a few! One of our young people who can struggle with anxiety, has learned how to canoe by herself – wearing a wet suit and learning how to use the paddles. Two of our younger children, after lots of practice, near misses and encouragement from their Foster Carers have mastered riding their bikes without stabilisers. We were sent wonderful videos of their bike riding and we are all so proud that they have reached this milestone. We have had news that another of our young people, after a holiday consisting of lots of swimming, can now swim without armbands. The same child who can struggle in social situations also made lots of friends on the holiday which was an indicator of how much her confidence has increased. At Young People at Heart, we believe that swimming and bike riding are fundamental life skills that should be afforded to all children and young people and as such we ensure that funding is available for a bicycle for all our young people, and to pay for swimming lessons to enable our children to swim to 10 meters. Our carers have also shared many other positive stories about their young people such as one young person learning a new piano piece, two children doing really well in kickboxing and another child being complimented by the post lady for lovely manners. All these achievements, no matter how significant indicate dedication, commitment, and progress in all our young people. Our Foster Carers work tirelessly, not only on the key milestones, but on the other day to day skills that we all need to manage generally within society. We are so proud of our young people and never cease to be amazed at how they consistently exceed expectations! Source: youngpeopleatheart.org ![]() This Feel-Good Friday [8th September] we are celebrating International Literacy Day 2023. This year’s theme is ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’. It looks to highlight the significance of literacy and numeracy in helping individuals and communities, as well as to encourage people to develop and improve their skills worldwide. Despite progress being made across the world, it’s thought that at least 750 million young people and adults lack basic literacy skills, like reading and writing. Although here at Young People at Heart many of our young people come to us not meeting their age-related targets in core subjects including reading, we are so pleased that our foster carers and staff team are able to support their young people in improving skills such as phonics and reading to get them to a point of reading unaided and going on to surpass expectations (which has recently been outlined in some brilliant exam results)! We are so grateful to work closely with the National Literacy Trust, who are an independent charity dedicated to giving children the literacy skills they need to succeed. Due to the brilliant work they do, we can give our young people a new book to keep and enjoy reading, every few weeks. The Literacy Corners in our offices are kept nice and full for our young people to come in and choose a book.
What are the benefits of reading to children? Bonding Reading provides a wonderful opportunity for you and a young person to connect. It’s a nice way to spend time together and slow down during an otherwise hectic day. Plus, people who have a positive attitude toward books and reading in turn help their children view literacy in a positive way. Listening skills Hearing a story read aloud involves some level of comprehension on a young person’s part. And comprehension is dependent on paying attention — in other words, listening skills. Cognitive and language development Reading books to young people helps expand the number and variety of words they use. The books you read can often contain words you might not otherwise use in your everyday communications. While reading a book, you might end up using more specific names for different plants or animals or use more adjectives. Attention span Reading to children helps them develop key concentration and self-discipline skills. Creativity Books and stories open up a whole new world to a young person. Yes, there are plenty of nonfiction books on dinosaurs, bugs, and airplanes. Fiction stories, though, go beyond the real world and employ fantasy elements that get kids thinking outside the box. Children have vivid imaginations as is, so reading serves to further feed their creativity. Life lessons Books provide an opportunity to talk about real-world situations in age-appropriate ways. Young people especially enjoy books that feature children their own ages doing things they do in everyday life. Along with modelling what happens in various situations, reading books on targeted subjects may help children not feel alone when they deal with something new, like moving, or something potentially uncomfortable, like going to the dentist. Reading stories about potentially emotional situations, like starting at a new school, can help get a conversation going and show children that their feelings are normal. Source: www.youngpeopleatheart.org/ ![]() Amanda, one of our Social Work Assistants in Essex set up The Children’s Court Room Project with Judge Shanks who has been serving as a family Judge for the past 25 years, we believe that every young person coming into care or living in care and having life story work should know where decisions are made about them. For some young people Court is a scary place and is only talked about in meetings. So, we wanted to change this and allow children to see a Court room and meet a Judge that makes these important decisions. Judge Shanks will talk through what happens, where everybody sits, who attends court and how they then make their final decisions. In our Essex team 7 children have had this opportunity to visit the court room, with great feedback from them, saying ‘it was fun’ and ‘I loved sitting in the Judges chair’, ‘I know it’s a nice place and we are loved’ ‘I now know why it takes so long as it a very important decision’. These visit makes a young person feel like they also have a voice and are being heard, it visually helps them understand what is happening and who is making decisions about their future. We are also offering a virtual tour of the court room to all our foster carers so they can be aware of the process that happens in court, to allow them to offer support and be able to answer any questions that the young people may have. Source: www.youngpeopleatheart.org/ ![]() Our feel-good Friday story this week is all about the brilliant work our Hereford team has done creating an allotment to give our foster families and young people opportunities to meet and connect with other families whilst offering a great way of spending time with nature and being able to encourage, observe and enjoy wildlife. Children are fascinated by the process of how things grow and are even more excited by being able to taste what they have harvested. Growing vegetables requires gaining knowledge and new skills and the satisfaction gained from eating their first grown vegetable makes them taste even more delicious– which is why allotment gardening is perfect for curious minds and mouths! And with the cost of living increasing a few free fruit and vegetables can’t go a miss! Kayleigh our Social Work Assistant, who leads the allotment project often offers support to our Foster Carers by taking their young people out for activities, which often involves a trip to the allotment. An activity to encourage children to lead a healthier lifestyle, allowing them to grow healthy foods and engage in extra physical activity along with many other benefits. Children who have planted seeds and watch a crop grow are much more likely to eat vegetables routinely and establish healthy eating habits. This year we have strawberries, mint, potatoes, pumpkins, leaks, carrots, swede, beetroot, cabbage, and lettuce growing as well as lots of flowers. The proven mental health benefits of spending time outdoors are increasingly being noted with studies showing that nurturing plants and observing nature makes people feel calmer. Whilst gardening is educational it also allows our young people to develop new skills including responsibility, understanding, self-confidence, teamwork and communication which is something many of our young people who come to us struggle with. Gardening encourages our young people to stimulate all five senses. We have lots of flowers planted for sensory purposes. Sensory play by feeling the texture of the soil, the flowers, the petals, and seeds can be very beneficial for a young person’s development. It provides emotional regulation by providing a calming effect on children’s angry or anxious feelings. Develops fine motor skills through tactile play and handling tiny seeds and helps our young people understand how their actions affect what’s around them. Having our allotment also allows us a place to occasionally host our Coffee and Craft Mornings for our foster carers, where they made a bug hotel and bird feeders. We hope to have lots of residents in our bug hotel as identifying butterflies, going on bug hunts and listening to bird songs are all things which can capture a child’s imagination while helping out on the plot. Working our plot year- round means we experience the seasons, witness the behaviour of birds, insects, and other animals, and gain an understanding of the eco-system. This appreciation of the natural world also has the potential to inspire more environmentally aware behaviour by our young people as well as giving us a chance to reuse a few household or garden items and reduce our waste. Not only does our allotment benefit our foster families and young people but it gives our Hereford team a space where they can go for their staff wellbeing sessions and allows a little team building as they get together to help rake, weed and maintain the allotment all year round. ![]() Disability Pride month takes place each July and is an opportunity to start conversations to raise awareness of all disabilities and celebrate everything that people with disabilities bring to society. The month is a chance to focus on and celebrate the disabled community and their pride. Two of our young people who should certainly feel proud of what they have achieved are Daisy and Seb, along with their foster carer. Daisy and Seb both have complex, special needs which means they need around the clock care, especially Seb whose conditions are more profound. Daisy and Seb have lived with our single foster carer for almost 4 years. During their time with our foster carer, they have substantially progressed physically, emotionally, and academically. Our foster carer has ensured they attend every medical appointment necessary, to help with their complex conditions. She has also made sure that Seb completes his much-needed physiotherapy at home. At times, it has been gruelling and not all plain sailing however, Seb has made significant improvements in his mobility following successful surgery on his legs, to the point where he doesn’t necessarily need a wheelchair every day. Through his and his carer’s sheer determination and hard work, Seb can walk short distances. Our foster carer has also made a lot of adaptions, to her home to ensure life is more manageable for her and Seb including a downstairs wet room and a ramp at the back of the home. Daisy and Seb both attend a special needs school. They absolutely love learning and enjoy going to school each day. Both children are flourishing with their letters and sounds, and Seb can also sign to songs. The school provides so many enrichment opportunities, for both Daisy and Seb and they get involved in everything from sports days to swimming and horse riding. They both also attend Cubs and are both thriving and growing in confidence, learning valuable life skills by attending. Our foster carer enrols both children in as many activities as possible both at school and after school, to make sure they are having the best experiences she can give them and achieving their full potential. As an agency, Young People at Heart also arrange an activity event every half term holiday, for the children and carers to attend. These events, not only give the children the opportunity to see their friends every few weeks and participate in new experiences and activities but also, the chance for our foster carers, to touch base with each other and have the opportunity to chat, and swap advice and stories. Daisy and Seb’s foster carer, makes sure they both attend most of our events, as she wants the children to not only learn new experiences but also to feel included. It is remarkable seeing the progress these young people have made and continually go on to achieve. Source: www.youngpeopleatheart.org/ ![]() When I was asked if I would write a piece for International Women’s Day at first I didn’t really know where to start, so I thought I’d start at the beginning. My first memory of a powerful woman is that of my Nana. She was a real family woman who had 10 children (sadly one died), so my mum was one of 9. Maybe that’s where my love of big families came from. Growing up I remember going round to see Nana and Grandad, and playing with all my cousins, of which there are many! Then there is my mum, she is a very capable and strong woman, a good role model to me growing up. My mum has worked hard, really hard, running businesses whilst bringing up her 4 children. She has taught me that anything is possible if you work hard. As for me, my journey to where I am now, a foster carer for Young People at Heart….. well I have met many inspiring and inspirational women along the way. All of which have had a part to play in making me who I am now, mum to 4 amazing birth children (who are all grown-up now and still make me immensely proud every day), and foster-mum to 2 equally amazing children, both of whom have complex health needs and a life limiting condition. I have always wanted to be a ‘mum’. From playing with dolls with my sisters when I was little, to being a ‘mini mum’ and caring for my younger brother when I was 10 years old, I have always loved babies. I think the fact that I am a big kid myself, and love getting down on the floor to play, or playing ‘peek-a-boo’ with toddlers in the supermarket, means that I have a good rapport with kids. When I left school I trained as a nursery nurse, then when I qualified I got my first job as a Nanny. I was in my element and quickly became part of the family (I am godmother to one of the children). I went on to have several other Nanny jobs, one in London, one on the Wirral, and after having my first child aged 21, I took my new-born daughter with me to look after 4 children in Southport! I have always been a very busy person……. I loved my role as a Nanny as I was able to empower women to go to work, continue their careers, whilst knowing that their children were being well looked after in their own homes. I would cook, clean and drop the children at nursery/school, and I learnt a lot about how to manage a house and my time whilst multitasking looking after the children and making tea. After leaving work to build on my own family I later decided to return to childcare but in the form of nursing and I went to university aged 36 and qualified with a first-class honours degree in Children’s Nursing. I worked as a Children’s complex needs nurse in the community for 6 years, before going on to work in a children’s hospice. I have met so many exceptional and inspiring nurses along the way, who have mentored and guided me, but also championed me when I needed their support. Working with children and their families at ‘End of Life’ was when I really started to question who I was, and what I wanted out of life. I was now a single parent and had overcome many of my own health issues that, at the time, were making it difficult for me to work. I took the huge decision to leave nursing and move myself and my family across the other side of the country (to be closer to my family) and start afresh. I had always dreamed of being a foster carer when I retired, but as the reality of my children growing up and leaving home was setting in, and the thought of me being on my own was too much to bear, I decided to bite the bullet and apply at the age of 45. It was a long and very hard process (as I had applied to a local authority first and was messed about), but when I finally found ‘Young People at Heart’ things started happening and I have never looked back. My fostering journey has been full of ups and downs, challenges of great highs and lows…… it is definitely an emotional rollercoaster! Due to my background in nursing I decided to foster children with complex health needs, as I had the knowledge and experience to not only look after them, but also to advocate for them and give them the best life possible. I have 2 siblings who do have a life limiting condition, and this is hard as a single carer, they are getting bigger and their needs greater but I have had my house adapted, which was a huge process in itself, and we have now been funded for additional respite, and we are under the care of a local hospice which is brilliant. I am finally in a place where I feel fully supported by all involved, and my supervising social worker, Gina, from Young People at Heart has been with me all the way. So that’s me and my story. Thanks for reading if you got this far, and thank you to all of the wonderful women who have helped, hugged and supported me throughout my journey. We all have our unique story and each one is special. There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it!! Happy International Women’s Day! Kate xx Source: www.youngpeopleatheart.org ![]() As we reach the end of National Storytelling Week, we thought we would highlight two of the events and activities our not-for-profit foster care organisation has undertaken to promote reading and literacy for our foster carers and foster children. Towards the end of last year, Doncaster author and illustrator Phil Sheppard came to one of our young people events. As well as being a fantastic children’s author and illustrator, Phil is also the Doncaster Hub Manager for the National Literacy Hub. Phil kindly hosted a ‘Draw with Phil’ session with the foster children and they were able to follow his step by step guidance to recreate some of his illustrations. He finished the day by kindly signing books that we purchased for our children to take home with them. The event was a great success for the young people and the foster carers. We have also teamed up with National Literacy Trust. Our Social Work Assistants, who work directly with the young people in foster care with us, are all completing training to become Literacy Champions for the Trust, in order to support and encourage our young people with their reading skills. In return, the Trust have generously donated books for all our young people across all our regions and these will be distributed to them shortly.
We have recently taken additional office space in our Doncaster office and that room has been set up as a multiple purpose Participation Room, similar to our rooms in our Hereford, Cotswold and East Tilbury offices. We have used some of the space there to create a literacy corner, and in half term we’ll be holding an event where foster carers and children can see the new room and choose a book donated by National Literacy Trust for our children to keep. It was children’s author J. K. Rowling who said “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book” and Taylor Swift stated “Books train your mind and imagination to think big”. At Young People at Heart, we are doing everything we can to promote reading and literacy for our young people. Source: www.youngpeopleatheart.org ![]() Saturday 12th September 2020 was in the diary for our 5th Birthday party, and we weren’t going to let Covid-19 ruin that. Our team worked hard to ensure the day was memorable despite having to create a Plan B after the initial event, a gathering of all our staff and foster families at a centrally located scout activity centre, sadly couldn’t go ahead. Birthday boxes containing cake mix, decorations, a Sainsbury gift card to buy party food, bingo cards, colouring sheets, pencils and crayons, balloons, prizes and certificates were packed and sent out to our staff and foster families for them to join in our Zoom birthday event. What would we do without technology! With 56 different screens on our Zoom call, lots of happiness and laughter was shared, especially with our special guest Bingo Bob, who had lots of requests for more bingo games! Our scavenger hunt had our young people excitedly solving the riddles to find items around their houses and a special Young People at Heart quiz got everyone’s minds thinking. With a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday across the country, it was time to see all the lovely cake creations that had been made and decorated by our foster families. We really do have some star bakers!
It was great to see so many of our carers and young people join in, and lovely to see the effort everyone made in their homes, with decorations and some excellent fancy dress, But lovely as the day was, we do hope we can get back to our face-to-face birthday party next year! Source: www.youngpeopleatheart.org ![]() Our Essex and Hereford offices recently celebrated their 4th and 2nd birthdays so we held a joint Birthday Party today! Our foster carers, young people and staff teams travelled on coaches to Scout Adventures in Youlbury, Oxfordshire. Once there, we enjoyed a day of different activities. In the morning we built a campfire and toasted marshmallows and played ball games. We also blew giant bubbles and completed a nature quiz. After that we enjoyed a BBQ lunch. In the afternoon we played Woggleopoloy, a team game suitable for all ages involving nature challenges in the woods. The day closed with our Founders, Gary and Davina, thanking everyone for making the event a huge success. As everyone gathered round to enjoy the birthday cake, the young people burst into a spontaneous rendition of Happy Birthday!
Davina said afterwards that it was lovely to see the foster families and children from both offices meeting up and getting to know each other. She said the day really encompassed Young People at Heart’s family ethos. Happy Birthday Young People at Heart! Source: https://www.youngpeopleatheart.org ![]() Young People at Heart is a not-for-profit Independent Foster-Care Agency (IFA) that’s expanding! At Young People at Heart outcomes for young people are paramount for the organisation and everyone associated with it. Quite simply, everything the organisation does has the interests of young people at heart and that’s the way we want it to stay. On that basis the people who work with us have to have exactly the same ethos. Today we’d like to introduce you to one of our latest recruits Estelle Cashin, our Placements Officer. My first experience of an IFA was in the late 1990’s when I got my first job at a small IFA local to where I lived. It had a real family feel to it and it was a great place to work. I worked as a Receptionist/Administrator before being lured back to my previous employer and then starting a family. I had grown up in a family who fostered and was one of four myself. As a result I have some fantastic memories of all of us piling into the car and going to see my grandparents in Great Yarmouth, sometimes as many as seven children and our dog. I always admired my parents for fostering and the children and young people we looked after were very much a part of our family. I think having this experience as a child has helped me to grow as a person.
After having my second child I went back to the local IFA and worked a few hours a week populating their new database (mostly I went in on a Friday afternoon to entertain the troops whilst doing the odd bit of data input!) and looked on, longingly, while someone else fulfilled my dream job, Placements Officer. I continued to be a full time mum of two and went on to have two more children. When my youngest was at school I had a conversation with a friend, who worked at the agency, who told me that a Training Administrator position was about to become available. I applied and got the job. During my working life I have had a handful of bosses who’ve had a positive impact on me and, the way I work. Dale Cooper, my new boss, was one of these and I am thankful that, although no longer my boss, he is now my friend. It was during my time working with Dale, in the Training Administration role, that I had an opportunity to help, and cover for, Sarah the Placements Officer. I was in my element as I had finally got to be, albeit in an adhoc way, a Placements Officer. Over time the role grew and I was given the opportunity to be the full time Placements Officer. Seven years later I still love my job. Not long after being given the role full time the agency we worked for was sold to an investment company, who went on to purchase a number of different fostering agencies. The area and number of agencies I covered grew and I had a team of seven to manage. Although incredibly proud of what I achieved while I was there (the number of children I had found fantastic carers for, carers who gave the young people placed the lives they deserved) I slowly started to feel that the role was becoming less about the children and the carers and more about how many children could be placed. I always really wanted to make a difference and I didn’t feel I was anymore. So I made one of the toughest decisions I have ever made, to leave the organisation (where I’d worked for years and where I had met some incredible people). I reached out to Dave Bailey and Gary Cox at Young People at Heart because I had worked with them before and admired what Young People at Heart stood for. So here I am, working for a not for profit organisation where everyone’s opinion, and feelings, matter. A place where I feel listened to, valued and am encouraged to put the young people we work with at the heart of everything I do. I meet the children I place and spend time talking to the carers on the phone so I can match them better by understanding their needs (which makes the placement more sustainable). I’m doing what I love most and making a difference again! But I never forget that I couldn’t do this job without the foster carers and their families. They are the people who volunteer to care for the looked-after children and young people who need them. The people whose children have to share everything including the time they have with their parents. The people who are in extremely short supply because each and every year the number of referrals increases. If you’d like to foster with young people at heart then give me a call. Source: https://www.youngpeopleatheart.org |
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