Fostering wellbeing

Fostering Wellbeing is an innovative programme, funded by Welsh Government and delivered by The Fostering Network. The programme recognises that to improving outcome for children and young people, multi-agency working through a partnership framework across social services, health and education is essential. Fostering Wellbeing has been designed specifically for professionals working with looked after children and young people.

What is Fostering Wellbeing?

Fostering Wellbeing brings together all the professionals involved in supporting children who are looked after, including foster carers. It promotes equality of status for everyone involved in the ‘team around the child’. Fostering Wellbeing encourages professionals to work together, with a focus on improving wellbeing outcomes for children and young people. It creates a shared language for professionals, bringing people together and sharing best practice across service boundaries with an aim to embed a shared approach
Fostering Wellbeing aims to improve the wellbeing and educational outcomes for care experienced children in Wales. It is designed for professionals working with children who are looked after. Specifically, the programme aims to:

  • Identify and share the core values and principles which help children and young people who are looked after to thrive
  • Develop skills and competencies in common which help equip children and young people who are looked after to fulfil their potential
  • Become confident in a shared and consistent approach to meeting the needs of children and young people who are looked after which, in turn, will fire ambition and help them find success
  • Be active advocates for the children and young people for whom they have a responsibility, be it individual or corporate. 
     

View the programme update in English and in Welsh

The programme aims to embed a shared approach across the regions of Wales by bringing people together and sharing best practices across service boundaries. The core programme elements are:

Masterclass Programme:

Fostering Wellbeing offers 5 core masterclasses, delivered online to cohorts from all roles within the Team around the Child. The objective of each masterclass is to enable foster carers and other professionals to gain the skills and confidence needed to help inspire children and young people to fulfil their potential through a one team approach.

Fostering Wellbeing Pioneers:

We will work in partnership with local teams to recruit foster carers as ‘pioneers’. They will be experienced foster carers who in addition to the skills and experience they will bring to the role will receive training and support to help them cascade learning within their service

Evidence and Impact:

We have worked with CASCADE at Cardiff University who have conducted an independent evaluation of Fostering Wellbeing. 

Fostering Wellbeing Evaluation

We have worked with Here2There who conducted an independent evaluation on the Pioneer programme in Wales.

Fostering Wellbeing is one of a number of innovative programmes that The Fostering Network runs to improve foster care and outcomes for fostered young people.

For more information about Fostering Wellbeing you can email us or ring 02920 440940.

For media enquiries email The Fostering Network’s media team or ring 020 7620 6441.