Childline has launched an online self-help tool for young people experiencing bullying. ‘Bounce back from bullying’ aims to help young people: understand whether what they are experiencing is bullying; build their resilience; gain help and support from counsellors. The tool asks questions about different aspects of bullying, and gives young people the tools they need, […]
Submission to the Education Committee inquiry into fostering
The House of Commons Education Committee in England is currently engaged in an Inquiry into Fostering and is looking at a range of issues including: recruitment and retention of foster carers; stability of foster care placements; foster care for young people with specific or challenging needs and the involvement of young people in their care. […]
Launch of Teenagers in Foster Care Handbook
The Teenagers in Foster Care Handbook has just been launched by the Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education. This publication came out of a seminar series Teenagers in Foster Care, funded by an ESRC (The Economic and Social Research Council) grant to the Rees Centre and the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, […]
Special guardianship: statutory guidance update
The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the statutory guidance on the special guardianship services that local authorities need to provide in accordance with the Children Act 1989. The updated document includes more information on support for special guardians- to access this, please click here. […]
Using technology to help young people in care
The Department for Education (DfE) has published an evaluation of seven new technologies with the potential to support young people in care. Findings show that the two most popular technologies with young people and carers included; a virtual flat that teaches young people the skills they need to move into independence an online platform where […]
Decline in adoption continues
Statistics released by the Adoption Leadership Board show that in the first three months of 2016/ 2017 (April to June) a total of 1060 children were adopted. Compared to the same period of 2015 / 2017, this represents a year-on-year drop of 12.4%. For further information please see Children & Young People Now. Please click […]
Backless Booster Seats: The Facts – An update for Fostering Services and Foster Carers
You may have seen recent reports in the media about new regulations coming into place around the use of backless booster seats. Current regulations state that children must use a child car seat until they’re 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first. This is still the case today. The proposed changes to the […]
NEW! Foster Carer Recruitment Noticeboard
Fostering services in England can now advertise their foster carer recruitment events on Fosterline’s new national recruitment noticeboard. The national shortage of foster carers is well documented and recruiting the right people into fostering can be very costly and time consuming. Over the past year Fosterline has spoken to 68,500 people in England alone. With […]
Christmas in care
Whatever your origin, faith or background, Christmas is all around us. Christmas can be a difficult time for a lot of young people in care if everyone around is in the ‘spirit of things’ but they are not. When young people are taken into care they are removed from everything that is familiar to them: […]
Early education and children in care
The University of Oxford and Family and Childcare Trust have published a report on narrowing the achievement gap between children in care and their peers. Key findings from the research, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, include: high quality early education vastly improves outcomes for disadvantaged children; many local authorities are effectively promoting the […]