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Following the announcement by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Mark McDonald, that The Fostering Network would be one of a number of organisations who would receive funding from the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund, Sara Lurie, director of The Fostering Network Scotland, said: ‘We are very grateful to have received this core funding from the Scottish Government.

Responding to the publication of Starting Out Right: Early Education and Looked After Children (Family and Childcare Trust and the University of Oxford), Jackie Sanders, director of communications and public affairs at The Fostering Network, said: ‘This timely report has identified some extremely important issues when it comes to looked after children’s early education – not least that looked after children are less likely to access early education than their peers.

Social pedagogy can bring about immediate benefits for fostered children and young people, their foster carers, and the other professionals in the team around them, The Fostering Network’s four year Head, Heart, Hands programme has found.

English/Cymraeg

The Fostering Network, in conjunction with Welsh Government, has launched A Foster Carer’s Guide to Education in Wales.

The guide, which will help foster carers understand better how the education system works in Wales so that they are better equipped to support the children and young people in their care, has been developed to be used alongside Welsh Government’s Raising the Ambitions and Educational Attainment of Children who are Looked After in Wales.

Applications are now open to become an ambassador as part of The Fostering Network’s Fostering Excellence programme in Wales.

The Fostering Network is looking for twelve ambassadors, six care experienced young people and six foster carers, to represent and be the voice of young people in care in Wales and the Welsh foster carer community.

Responding to the Children’s Social Care Questionnaires 2016 from Ofsted, Jackie Sanders, director of communications and public affairs at The Fostering Network, said: ‘The Fostering Network has long believed that good foster care can transform lives.

Following the Westminster Government’s statement about the safeguarding of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children, Kevin Williams, chief executive at The Fostering Network, said: ‘The Government’s reiteration of its commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children along with its announcement of a strategy setting out how unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children should be safeguarded is welcome.

Reclaimcare.co.uk , a meme generator tackling some of the stigma surrounding being in care, which was developed as part of The Fostering Network’s Inspiring Voices project, has been commended in two categories in the Scottish Creative Awards.

The Fostering Network Northern Ireland welcomes the assertion in the Health and Wellbeing 2026 report, which was launched by Health Minister Michelle O'Neill today, that the Northern Ireland Government will ‘honour our corporate parenting responsibilities to the fullest extent and will be as ambitious for children in care as we are for our own children.’

The Fostering Network Northern Ireland is today highlighting the fact that care experienced young people are in danger of missing out on the chance of individualised support while at university, as the charity launches its annual Tick the Box awareness campaign today in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast.

By making sure they ‘Tick the Box’ on their UCAS or Further Education application form saying they are care experienced, care leavers can access a range of additional support varying from financial support to help with student accommodation.