THE BIG SLEEP

I get the feeling that sleep is becoming a big problem for all of us. We're bombarded from every direction with information about how to get a good night's sleep. If you foster you don't need anyone to tell you that sleep (especially bedtime) is one of the biggest common issues among foster children, and when foster children have sleep problems, foster parents have sleep problems. Here's what's...

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KEEP SIBLINGS TOGETHER? OR SEPARATE?

The big debate when children are taken into care is whether brothers and sisters should be kept together. Or, at least, it should be the big debate. Unfortunately, in my experience, it tends not to get debated much, maybe not even at all. Local Authority social workers always seem to try to keep them together. I've never heard of more than three sibings going into the same foster home,...

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CONTACT

I've found myself wanting to raise the subject of Contact a lot here, but I'm a bit worried about banging on because I've talked about it two or three times. Then again it's a big bugbear for many in fostering. If you don't know what Contact is, it's pretty simple. Foster children are required by law to have 'contact' with their real family generally every week. They will tell you it can be a phone...

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SHOULD FOSTER CARERS FEAR THEFT IN THE HOME?

About three months ago we had to hire someone to come in and clean the house on a Monday. I hope that doesn't make us sound posh, but fostering allows us to do it. The house is a tip after the weekend, and I've got school runs and a supermarket shop to do. It's fantastic to come back to a sparkling house and get on with the fostering phone calls and stuff. When I told a friend we had hired a cleaner...

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TUMMY ACHE

Eldest foster child is still in bed with Sunday breakfast on the table. Unusual. He loves his full English on a Sunday. I say 'full English', he's a No Tomatoes or Mushrooms lad. In other words normal. There's extra beans for anyone whose plate isn't full, the key to a good full English is that the plate is full. We have three sizes of plates so everyone gets an age-appropriate full English. I'm...

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NO SH*T SHERLOCK

I had my medical a few weeks ago. Blue Sky pay for you to have an MOT, every three years as I remember. You're in there with your GP getting your reflexes checked. They weigh you (ouch), and even check your height. They listen to your lungs, feel your tummy. You have to bring a urine sample. That sort of thing. I find it a bit scary every time, just in case they find something, do you know what...

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FOSTERING AND POLITICS

The General Election.  I'm not political but I'll vote.  I'm indecisive too. In meetings, when there are general discussions, I find myself agreeing with whoever was the last person to speak. I'll vote according to being a foster carer as much as anything else. I used to vote mainly as a parent, so education was important. But as a couple we also cared about what sort of world we wanted...

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