By Martin Barrows My wife and I both come from large families. Between us we have 11 brothers and sisters. Many have their own children and grandchildren. Family get-togethers require regimental planning these days. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that much of our fostering lives over the past 10 years has revolved around […]
Voices writing competition
Coram Voice has launched a creative writing competition for children in care and care leavers who are 25 or under. The theme for Voices 2020 is ‘Dreams‘. The competition closes on 12 February 2020. Further details are available here > […]
Childline launch Calm Zone
Childline has launched Calm Zone – an online hub of calming techniques and resources for young people to help them feel better when they feel anxious, scared or sad. Further details are available here > […]
£45m announced for Adoption Support Fund in England
The Department for Education (DfE) has announced an additional £45 million for the Adoption Support Fund in England. The funding will help support new adoptive families and reduce the number of children waiting for a permanent home. More than £1 million will also go to help Regional Adoption Agencies and voluntary organisations run campaigns to find […]
Looked after children placed out of area in England
The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a report about looked after children who are living in placements outside of their local area. Findings include: over 30,000 (41% of) looked after children are living ‘out of area’ in England, and over 11,000 of these children are more than 20 miles from home. Recommendations include: the […]
Children missing education- resource published
SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) has published an information resource on children missing education in England. The resource covers: children especially at risk of missing education; the roles and responsibilities of parents and schools; elective home education; and local authority duties and responsibilities. Further details are available here > […]
Care leavers get mental health support in pilot programme launched by NYAS
A programme has been launched to combat mental health issues among care leavers and help them find work. The SideBySide programme is run by the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) in response to mental health challenges and loneliness faced by care leavers. Many are “thrust into the adult world before they are ready, facing a […]
Record number of children in care as adoption rates drop
Department for Education (DfE) statistics show 78,150 children were in care on 31 March this year – four per cent more than on the same date in 2018. Some 72 per cent of children were in foster care – 13 per cent of which were with friends or relatives, the figures show. In addition, the […]
Wanting To Care For a Child Over Christmas
Leading up to Christmas, many families will often think what they can do for others or how they can support children who are not able to spend Christmas with their own families. Within the fostering arena, children come into foster care for many different reasons. One of our advisors has written an article about wanting […]
Be Prepared for Christmas
Christmas is nearly upon us and excitement is already in the air! For some children and young people however, Christmas is filled with a sense of anxiety, fear and stress which can often lead to heightened emotions and difficulties in managing their behaviours. To help you prepare for Christmas, one of our advisors has written […]