FOSTERING AND THE SCHOOL

Fostering is hard enough without having to ensure the child's education. The simple fact that the child is in Care means there are problems. The child might be 100% a fine individual, but they are still carrying the confusing, frightening, de-stabilising burden of being taken away from their home. It hardly matters how bad home life is; a child is attached to mum and dad, and now the biggest familiar...

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TWO LITTLE FOSTERING WORRIES

We have a spare bedroom at the moment. A child has gone home. Keep wondering whether to close the bedroom door or leave it open; it's an issue if the child has touched you. It's not a very big issue. Randomly; I remember once giving a new foster child the choice of a big bedroom or a small one and she chose the small one, she felt safer in there. This child used to like to climb under a small corner...

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WHEN A CHILD LEAVES

So.  One child less in our house as of Saturday. The child's Local Authority social worker arrived at 10.00am Saturday morning to take the child home. They went for a Saturday because the mum has started some kind of a Monday to Friday job and wanted to be at home all day for the big day. Our Blue Sky social worker arrived at 9.30am and stayed for an hour after the child had gone just to make...

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LIFE ALONGSIDE FOSTERING

Came downstairs this morning about two minutes before 7.00am. Have to fill the kettle, sometimes you can tell by the weight if it's got enough for two cups, not this morning. Take it to sink to fill up, notice the sink has stuff in it, take the kettle back to where it sits and switch it on. Back to the sink and pick up the two mugs and cereal bowl to put them in the dishwasher. It's full. Bend down...

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BEREAVEMENT AND FOSTERING

I've been asked to talk about bereavement and fostering. It's not something I have experience of and I hope I never will, but if it comes my way I'll give it my best shot. We seem to have built a nice community of contributers here, and I'm hoping other foster carers can find a moment to give the person who has made the request - a new carer - some thoughts and encouragement. Children come into Care...

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WHY FOSTER 2

"Wow..... I'm a secret reader, i love reading all your posts..... I hope one day we maybe able to do as you do, I honestly don't know if we are brave enough, I really admire what you & people like you do....... Anyhow this post has hit me...... I'm not sure what it is or why it has, but something in here, has made me sit up & think ......... Maybe we could?? Might have to re-read it to what...

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PARAMOUNT IN FOSTERING

Fostering is all about preparing for the child to go home. That's not the job in a nutshell, but it's the primary goal. 'The Child Is Paramount' - I remember a Blue Sky training session where they talked about how all the rules and laws relating to fostering make the child the priority in everything. One of the things that struck me most in fostering right from the get-go is how much they all want...

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