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The Naughty Step

We are all familiar with the naughty step which may also be a naughty chair, spot, or corner. It is a designated area where the child is made to sit alone for a set period of time (usually one minute for each year of the child’s age), until he or she is ready to rejoin the family or group and behave. Many parents, carers, childminders and nursery schools use the naughty chair and find it works well. It allows the child to take time out to calm down and reflect on his or her bad behaviour. It also reinforces in the child’s mind that he or she has been naughty and their behaviour is unacceptable.

By Cathy Glass on March 7th, 2014

Using a password manager

As a foster carer you open your home to a range of people from young people of a range of ages in foster care, to social workers and other professionals. This means that you must be even more sure that your computer is secure, and that your personal information is protected. After all, you may access everything from your bank account to your online shopping through your computer and this means password after password having to be stored in your computer or remembered.

By Kieran McGuire on February 11th, 2014

Attracting and Keeping Carers - February 2014

February, the month in which ‘romance’ is commercially celebrated by the modern day St Moonpig, brings to a close January’s New Year foster carer recruitment campaigns and is hopefully a time for information sessions and a peak of initial visits.
By James Foyle on February 10th, 2014

Don't make Welsh teenagers live alone too soon

My name is Caroline and I am a foster carer in South Wales, and have been for 7 years. I currently have 3 teenagers in placement, one of whom has just turned 18. A week before her 18th birthday she was offered a flat, I went with her to look at it. It was fab. But I knew she wasn't ready to be left alone in this flat which was actually quite isolated. She would have had a mile to walk to the bus stop, with £53 a week to live on and miles away from any support.
By Policy and Campaigns tFN on February 10th, 2014

Fussy eaters

Food is essential for life and therefore part of our nurturing and love. If a child rejects the food we have lovingly prepared then it is easy to feel they are rejecting us. Many of the children I’ve fostered have come to me with some form of ‘eating disorder’: refusing to eat, eating the smallest of amounts, eating only sweet foods, or gorging or binging until they are physically sick. Based on training, research for my book Happy Mealtimes For Kids, and over 25 years of fostering experience, I’ve put together some guidelines that can help achieve healthy eating.
By Cathy Glass on February 10th, 2014

Why young people in Wales deserve the Chance to Stay

Sharon, a foster carer in South Wales, tells her story below. Some names have been changed. Tell your Assembly Member how you feel on this issue, so that all young people in foster care in Wales can be given the chance to stay.
By Policy and Campaigns tFN on January 27th, 2014

Attracting and Keeping Carers - January 2014

Welcome back. I’m sure for many the festivities are now a distant memory, but I hope you have returned refreshed and reinvigorated for 2014.
By James Foyle on January 13th, 2014

Happy New Year!

The end of the year is traditionally considered a good time to reflect on what we have achieved during the year. It can come as a surprise to see how much we have been doing. Often we’re too busy doing it to notice. As a foster carer 2013 for me included seeing two children return to their families, giving respite to another child, mentoring two new carers, participating in the skills to foster training, as well as having the pleasure to meet Tayo again after nine years.
By Cathy Glass on January 2nd, 2014

Social pedagogy reminds me why we signed up to foster

Social Pedagogy has in my view huge potential to enrich the practice of foster carers and social workers and most importantly, the lives of children and young people. As the By Martina Elter on December 18th, 2013

Attracting and Keeping Carers - December 2013

Thank you again to everyone who attended our transforming foster carer recruitment event this month. The event was a sell out and apologies to those people who were unable to secure a place. The national local authority benchmark and Why foster carers care report, containing the Values Modes survey findings which were launched at the event, can be downloaded from the recruitment and retention section on our website.
By James Foyle on December 17th, 2013