British children are among the least active in the world, and fitness levels are plummeting, a damning international study has found. Experts said the results were alarming, showing that movement was being “stripped out” of modern lifestyles, with children weaned on screen-time and starved of outdoor activity. On Sunday night Simon Stevens, head of the […]
Court orders adoption re-hearing after failure to analyse fostering options
Appeal judges have ordered a rehearing of a care case after finding a decision to place two children for adoption had been made without a proper consideration of long-term fostering options. The judges upheld an appeal against the adoption order brought by the children’s parents but warned it should not be seen as “any sort […]
NEW! Foster Carer Recruitment Noticeboard
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10 things I’ve learnt about surviving being a foster carer
TV star from The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) Debbie Douglas is also a foster carer and fostering ambassador for the Department for Education. Debbie has been fostering for over two decades and shares her thoughts on how to survive being a foster carer. Debbie said: “The 10 things I’ve learnt about surviving being a […]
Knowledge and skills statement for achieving permanence
The Department for Education (DfE) has published the government’s response to the consultation on the knowledge and skills statement for achieving permanence for children who are in or on the edge of care. As a result of the consultation, key changes to the content of the statement include: there is now a greater focus on […]
Online safety resources for children aged 8 – 10
CEOP’s Thinkuknow has published Play Like Share, a three-episode animated series and accompanying resource pack to help eight-to-ten year olds learn how to stay safe from online sexual abuse and exploitation and think about issues they might encounter online. The resource pack includes some targeted extension sessions, designed to be delivered to small groups of […]
Foster Care’s Role in Providing Secure and Stable Family Life for the Majority of Children in Care
Following the Queen’s Speech, John Simmonds OBE, Director of Policy, Research and Development at CoramBAAF emphasised the need for additional support for foster families, pointing out that “despite the continuing focus and prominence of adoption in public policy, about 75% of children are placed in foster care and it is a public service that needs to […]
Adoption by Foster Carers
In an article published in the Guardian’s Social Care Network, Elaine Dibben, CoramBAAF’s Adoption Development Consultant, discusses the potential benefits and challenges arising from foster carer adoption. The article considers the issues that social workers need to be aware of when preparing and assessing foster carers, and calls for consistent and positive responses to carers who wish to […]
Which fostering service do I choose?
You can foster with a local authority or with an independent fostering service. Can you foster? Can you change lives? Take our quick survey. The term “Local authority” refers to the local council for each area. This could be a town or city or a county (for example Birmingham City Council, The London Borough of […]
Child grooming: Signs of grooming and how to keep your children safe
Western Gazette 27 May 2016 The digital world has become a valuable resource, but it can also be a dangerous place. Learning everything you can about grooming, including what it means and how to stop it, can help you find the best way to protect your children and help make their world a safer place. […]