Blogs
In June 2021, the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England published their Case for Change document. The document aims to set out the problems the children’s social care sector is faced with. It also gives everyone with care experience or in the children’s social care workforce the opportunity to understand the Review team’s thinking and tell them what has been overlooked.
We think the document fell short in many areas, so we have written a response informed by our members to highlight what is missing.
Dr Arlene Weekes believes that the decisions that fostering and adoption panel members make are too often influenced by their own biases and backgrounds. She is calling for radical reform of how they are hired – and fired
Kate and her partner Natalie have been foster carers for four years and became Mockingbird hub home carers for Trust Fostering, part of Doncaster Children’s Services Trust, in 2018. Over the last 15 months going in and out of lockdown, they have started setting regular competitions and organised activities to keep the children in the constellation entertained. This has not only supported relationship building within the constellation but with the wider community as well. Kate tells us more.
As the June 30 deadline for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme draws near The Fostering Network urges all members to make sure the children in their care and children who left care have the correct immigration status. Steven, a Mockingbird hub home carer, shares his experiences of securing the Right to Remain for the boy living with him.
Welsh foster carer Meleri shares her experiences of being approved as a foster carer during the Covid19 pandemic.
Martin Leworthy started fostering, together with his wife, in 2005. Since then, they have fostered 15 young people. Martin is also a trustee of The Fostering Network.
Director of The Fostering Network in Scotland, Sara Lurie, reflects on how foster carers have risen to the challenge of caring for children throughout a global pandemic.
Greg De Smidt is a registered manager for a small independent fostering provider with over 20 years-experience in the UK fostering sector. He has worked across the statutory, independent and charitable sectors and held senior management roles in England and Scotland. He is also a trustee at The Fostering Network.
My name is Catherine and I am a kinship foster carer in Northern Ireland and I would like to share with you a bit about what fostering has been like for me.
Fostering involves many different people who all contribute to make sure that children in care can thrive. Janet Smith, trustee of The Fostering Network since 2015 and chair of the board since 2020, has played different roles in the lives of young people throughout her life. Here she shares her story with fostering and how it all began.
