recruitment

I get back from Calais absurdly happy to see my family and determined to see this fostering thing through to its conclusion, to its beginning.

The assessment is underway and we’re starting from the beginning, or as the form F calls it, the Early Years. Our assessor has sent us a list of questions as homework in preparation for her next visit this weekend.

It’s Saturday morning and the house is now (reasonably) tidy. This is unusual for any day of the week but particularly for a Saturday. Today, however, is no ordinary Saturday – today is the day our assessor is coming.

Last week I went on a home visit to a lady who had enquired about fostering through our agency. She’d been on our website, liked what she’d seen and dropped us an email. I’d been the one to call her and answer her questions. I’d been the one to book in a suitable time to visit her at home to talk in more depth. And, along with my colleague, I’d been the one to go to her lovely home. For an hour and a half we chatted and she asked us lots of questions, which we answered honestly. We gave her a realistic picture of what she might expect from fostering. We also asked her lots of questions about her family, their experiences and motivations. We’re not sure if she’ll apply to foster with us but we left her with an application form and lots to think about.

The fallout from the media storm on the plight of Syrian refugees continues to resonate. Over 9,000 members of the public pledged their support to helping a refugee or family.

FCA in Worcestershire is one of a number of services targeting the ‘empty-nesters’ of children who have left for university this month in their latest foster carer recruitment campaign.

Many of you will have already seen the news that as of 31 July 2015, the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, BAAF, has closed. The Fostering Network has been proud to stand with BAAF and their staff in campaigning for changes in legislation and guidance that will have a positive effect on children and young people for generations to come.