17 May 2016 It’s keeping carers going that’s the real challenge By Andrew Fox We don’t have enough foster carers for all of our children and young people to enjoy family life. And I know that we’ll always struggle to find people who can take on this role – because it’s not something that just anyone can do. I believe that not everyone has the right skills, attitude or the circumstances to be in a position to do it. So for local authorities and agencies to find and train the right people will always be difficult. But still recruitment is the easy part. It’s keeping carers going that’s the real challenge.
16 May 2016 It was at this point I realised that my foster family weren't against me, but in fact they only had my best interests in mind By Liam At the age of five I was taken into care, due to the fact my mother couldn't look after me and my elder brother. We were told that we were going to be staying with someone else for a week, and then we would be taken back home when everything had been sorted. Weeks went by, which turned into months, which turned into a year. By the end of the first month, my brother and I were told that we weren't going to be able to go home as it was in our best interests to be looked after by one of their foster carers. To say we were distraught would be an understatement.
9 Jun 2015 Invest in the best! Looking after foster carers and learning from good practice By Andrea Warman The Fostering Network report which launched Fostercare Fortnight, highlighted how too many teenagers in care experience a series of placement breakdowns as their foster carers struggle to cope. It called for more targeted recruitment, and more support for carers when things are going wrong. Like many others, my work with carers over a number of years means I’m not surprised at all by the report’s findings, and I wouldn’t disagree with those recommendations – but I don’t think they go far enough.
8 Jun 2015 We recently cared for adult parents and their baby who were with us for just over three months By Trish and Duane Bryant Fostering was something we always wanted to do after our own children had grown up and moved on. We did our research and shortlisted three foster care providers, finally deciding on Pathway Care. We weren’t sure if we’d be accepted as foster carers at first as we’ve never done anything like that before. But Pathway Care was very reassuring and keen to get us up to speed which is exactly what we wanted.
2 Jun 2015 To see this group of brothers and sisters all having such a lovely time together, laughing and having fun was truly a wow moment By Cherrie McConnachie I’ve wanted to foster ever since I was at school. My best friend was in foster care and had a bad experience, so I always thought that this would be a way for me to make a positive difference. Paul and I considered fostering very carefully as we wanted to make sure our own children were fully comfortable with our wish to become foster carers and ready to become a foster family at an age where they could understand what was happening. We also wanted to make sure our wider family group was fully supportive, which they are.
1 Jun 2015 Being a foster child was one of the scariest, most life changing, but positive roads my life could have taken By Jaimie I was taken into foster care at the age of 12. Most young people will feel alone and confused at some point during their childhoods; and living with the feeling that you have no family, home or hope is truly devastating.
23 May 2014 My priority is to break down the myths that surround fostering By A marketing officer It’s 9.00am and I’ve arrived at the office to start the day. I’ve got a lot to get through, so after bidding everyone a good morning I grab a coffee, before working through my unread emails, and check my diary and my to do list. I also look after the social media, so reply to any direct messages and interact with our followers.
22 May 2014 This is not one of those soft-focus advertisements for foster carers, this is real life By a foster carer I guess I love a challenge – I cycled through Jordan, trekked in China, and now I am a competitive sports fencer. I love parenting too, with birth daughters who are 22 and 17, and our youngest daughter, adopted from China who is 10. So maybe foster caring was an obvious thing to do. M joined our family eighteen months ago. She was 15, had been living a high risk lifestyle, and had a serious drug habit. Making a big life change was largely her choice, but that's M!
21 May 2014 We do actually drink a lot of tea By a social worker When I first started my role as a supervising social worker I had to complete the skills to foster training, one of the questions asked of all the participants present was to name one thing that annoys you. At the time I honestly stated “foster carers”. Having worked as a children’s social worker on a busy child protection team I felt my priority was safeguarding children at risk and not necessarily those in the care system.
20 May 2014 Ted’s patience is truly amazing, he sees the funny side as a big foster brother By a foster carer Bank Holiday over, Legoland is a distant memory, it’s 6.45am on Tuesday and L has been coaxed from her bed to get the school bus, with lots of guidance and reminders of what happens next - her tiredness means that her Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is ensuring she cannot remember the process of the morning very clearly, as her hair, forgotten coat and unbrushed teeth confirm. It’s her looked after child (LAC) review here at 4pm so she will miss year 8 Drama club this evening. That will throw her out, but a good ice cream dessert should do the trick.

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