This is a very difficult time for all families throughout the country and keeping everyone safe and well is a priority for us all. The decision to introduce unprecedented measures has not been taken lightly and I’m immensely proud at how our fostering community are showing just how resilient and resourceful they are. All across […]
Coronavirus: responding to children’s concerns
Childline has updated its website to include information to support children and young people concerned about coronavirus. The Independent has also published an article on advice from experts about how parents can respond to their children’s concerns about coronavirus. Visit Childline: Worries about the world: coronavirus Read the news article: ‘I went through my 10-year-old’s […]
What is the official advice for education settings including nurseries?
On 18 March, Prime Minister announced schools will close from 20 March until further notice. Early years provision, private schools and sixth form colleges are also expected to follow government advice, the Prime Minister said. Exceptions will be made for the children of key workers during the epidemic including parents in the emergency services and […]
Extra funds for student mental health
The Department for Education (DfE) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have announced £1 million of funding for student groups most at risk of poor mental health. The funding aims to create projects to support groups believed to be ‘at risk’, including: black and ethnic minority students, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, LGBTQ+ students […]
Sibling Assessments in Care and Adoption
Barrister Judith Pepper writes about siblings in care proceedings and adoption in Family Law Week. The article aims to highlight from case law some of the issues that have arisen with poor quality assessments, and considers: the lack of proper sibling assessment at the time when decisions are made; some common errors; that sibling assessments should […]
Always Heard Helpline Funding Extended
Coram Voice reports that the Government has committed to extending funding for Always Heard, the national advocacy helpline for young people, into 2020-21. The helpline was launched in 2017 to provide advocates for children in care, children on the edge of care and care leavers, and has since supported over 16,000 care experienced children and […]
Coram Voice Launches AdvoCat Animation
Coram Voice have created AdvoCat, an animated advocacy superhero character, to help younger children in care to understand and access advocacy and get their voices heard. Coram Voice worked with a group of primary aged children to find out what would help them understand and engage with advocacy, and developed the AdvoCat character as a […]
Foster Friday 20th March 2020
Foster Friday will take place on 20 March 2020. It is the UK’s biggest day for raising awareness about fostering and adoption within the Muslim community. The aim will be to get 100 mosques to sign up to committing to find one foster or adopter family over the next 12 months. The key theme for this year […]
Online safety – TikTok introduces “family safety mode”
The BBC reports that TikTok, a social video app that allows users to share short videos, is introducing a family safety mode designed to give parents tighter control over how their children use the app. The safety feature will allow parents and carers to link their account to their child’s and have direct control over […]
Access to education for children in care
HuffPost UK reports that a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Department for Education (DfE) shows that government ministers have been asked to intervene 72 times over the last three years to use their powers to force academies to accept looked after children. Local authorities can force a council-run school to accept children, while […]