As part of the Fostering Communities programme, we have developed a personal reflective journal for foster carers. Our aim is to help foster carers feel empowered and motivated, enabling them to use their own strengths and abilities to benefit themselves, their community and other people, whilst improving their own competence, confidence and motivation.
The personal reflective journal for foster carers (revised 2022)
In 2021, a personal reflective journal for foster carers was developed and trialed with the fostering community in Wales. Following this consultation, the journal has been revised based on the views and experiences shared by foster carers, fostering service managers, and fostering training officers.
The journal has been through a thorough co-produced evaluation and re-design phase, with the final resource celebrating foster carer's diversity, professionalism, skill, motivation, and empowering foster carers as autonomous learners.
The revised journal includes the following features:
- A self-directed tool, which can be used in many ways
- A tool which is multipurpose
- A tool which can be used as evidence of reflecting
- A tool to support planning
You can read and download the Personal Reflective Journal in English and Welsh. To accompany this, we have created a journal record template in English and Welsh, that you can edit and save to your computer and/or print off to use.
In addition to the newly revised journal, a paper was written to describe the process involved in engaging foster carers and fostering service provides in the design, along with details of the rationale behind the key features in the revised journal. You can read the paper - Developing the Personal Reflective Journal: A co production approach - here in English and Welsh.
- Initial development of the Personal Reflective Journal for foster carers (2021)
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In year 1 (2021) of the Fostering Communities programme a Personal Reflective Journal for foster carers was developed in English and Welsh. To accompany the journal, we also developed an introduction paper (English and Welsh) which outlined how, why and when to use the journal.
Following a trial of both the journal and introduction paper, we have revised the journal for year 2 (2022) of the programme, which incorporates the views of foster carers and fostering staff across Wales. Please see the above for the newly revised resource which is available for foster carers to use now.
