SUPPORT MEETING 2

So, (see previous post) how did things pan out for Sue and Angie? Before I tell it's important to reiterate that support meetings depend on the confidence of all attending. Foster parents need to be able to talk openly amongst each other about things happening in their fostering world and that means they don't want to have to worry that anyone might take something out of context or be misquoted.  This...

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BLUE SKY SUPPORT 1

I popped into a Blue Sky support meeting a couple of weeks back and (as usual) something interesting came up. These meetings are a chance for foster carers to get together and chew the fat of fostering. There are usually some social workers who join in, but it's mostly our platform.  Sometimes foster carers need to have a therapeutic whinge. Other times they need to share triumphs and achievements.  We...

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PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

There's always something new to think about when you've a foster child in your care. The latest thing in our house is an ongoing one and it's not going to go away. Each day brings something new on the same tack. Our eldest foster child is starting out on the road to independence. This afternoon he messaged me on his way home from school that he was going straight to a mate's house to chill. That...

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FAMILY TRADITIONS AND FOSTERING

Our eldest foster child, is now on his way to being one of the family - as much as he wishes to be. It's not a good idea to force the issue, actually you can't, they either sign up or keep their distance or most often find a place somewhere in between. Their preferred place in their foster family is their right. What makes me think he's signing up? Good question. You'll laugh, I suspect, it almost...

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WISE SOCIAL WORKERS

Eldest foster child is going through a tough time. He's part of our family now, it hurts to see him sad. It's his real family that's the problem. No matter how embedded a foster child becomes in his or her foster home, their real family's circumstances loom over them like a dark cloud threatening a downpour. All foster children have one single big thing in common; the fact that they've been taken...

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