HOW TO KEEP YOUR WAISTLINE BY FOSTERING

I was reading (yet another) newspaper article about obesity when something occurred to me about fostering. The article started (as always) with statistics about how many of us are seriously overweight. We hear nothing else these days; we all need to drop a stone or two. The article then listed (the usual) ways to slim; cut down on food and exercise more. Here's the thing I got wondering: food is...

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A FOSTER CARER'S MAILBOX

I've just picked up the mail, and it got me thinking. Who'd be a postman? Sorry...I guess I should ask "Who'd be a post person?"  Hang on. Isn't Postman Pat still going strong? Although, in order to be completely non-sexist I should make it clear that in principle he is going no stronger than a puppet Postwoman would go, as men do not necessarily possess greater physical strength than women,...

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FOSTERING AND YOUR ANNUAL REVIEW

We've just had our Annual Review. Me and the other half. Blue Sky runs the rule over your fostering every 12 months. It's yet another example of how thorough the support is. I worked in various different jobs before fostering, and there was never so much back-up. The review was friendly and informal. You sit down with your social worker and a chap who is called the Independent Review Officer. There's...

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MOANING

It is probably a truth universally acknowledged that a foster carer with a placement is someone in need of a good moan. Not just carers, everybody needs a good moan. Every day there's something to moan about, and we moan to whoever we can find to listen. The second best company if you want a good moan is someone who shares your circumstance and your point of view. The moaning can get stoked...

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HOW MUCH POCKET MONEY IS FAIR?

If you ever were to come round my house and use the downstairs loo, you'd notice a lavender blue plastic coat rack stuck on the inside of the door, all down to my policy with pocket money. If you remember back to when you were small, your pocket money was a big deal. Those pennies meant a lot, every last one of them; freedom to do something, whatever you wanted. Sweets, a toy. Or a toy. Or maybe...

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TRAIN TO FOSTER

If you're thinking of fostering you'll be interested to know how the training sessions work. Blue Sky puts on a session about once a month in your area, at the offices of your social worker, so it's all friendly faces. The sessions start at 10.00 so there's plenty of time if you do a school run, and end about 12.30 so you've got some of the day left for other jobs. There's a hefty coffee break in...

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FOSTER PARENTS V REAL PARENTS

Can you imagine what a better world it would be if all parents had to be like foster parents? People need to be told the full facts about parenting before they have children. Not a few hairy stories from Auntie Flo but the whole story layed out from on high about how the rest of your life will change, and change for the better if you do the job right, change for the worse if you don't. People...

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