Welcome to the second and summer edition of our Fostering South West newsletter.
As well as our regular monthly features, this month we are excited to share details about upcoming events, a story from one of Swindon Borough Council’s Emergency Foster Carers and what you can expect from your Initial Visit.
So, no matter where you are in your fostering journey we hope you’ll enjoy hearing more. Don’t forget, we’re here for you whenever you feel ready to take the next step, or, if you just want some of your questions answered.
Fostering events in August
Do you want to find out more about fostering from one of our local council partners? On our brand new events page you can find out about all of the in-person and virtual events they are running and attending over August. Use our handy map view to see which ones are nearest to you!
Take the opportunity to go to an event, chat with foster carers and ask their fostering teams any questions you may have. Our Fostering South West team will be attending some of these in partnership with our partner local councils.
Click the button below to find events suitable for you and check back regularly as this page will be updated.
Emergency foster care for Swindon Borough Council
“It makes me want to shower them with love and nurture, to make sure they’re safe, comfortable and wanted.”
One of Swindon Borough Council’s foster carers, Charlie, shares her experience as an emergency foster carer. Emergency Duty Service (EDS) fostering involves caring for a child, teenager or siblings for a short period of time in an emergency.
“I find doing emergency fostering is one of the most important roles of being a foster carer. The majority of those children that have been brought to me have just been removed from their family home. They’re frightened when they arrive at my home because I’m a stranger to them and they’re told this is where they’ll be staying and sleeping.
“To see a scared child, regardless of their age or gender, standing on my doorstep hurts my heart every time. It makes me want to shower them with love and nurture, to make sure they are safe, comfortable and wanted.
To see these children cope with the situation they’ve found themselves in, adjusting to their new normal, seeing their resilience and catching them smile, is a wonderful and rewarding feeling.”
Emergency Fostering is just one of the different types of foster care offered across the south west, find out more about the different types of fostering by clicking the button below.
Monthly myth buster
Throughout the course of our newsletters, we want to give the spotlight to a common misconception in each edition. In this edition it is that your relationship status effects your ability to foster.
This is a common myth, the reality is quite different. Foster carers relationship status does not effect their ability to foster. As long as you can support a child in your care, your relationship status, whether married, in a civil partnership, divorced, or single, does not matter. If you are in a relationship, it should be stable to provide a supportive environment for the child. So, if you’re considering becoming a foster carer, don’t let your relationship status be a barrier—your heart and dedication matter most!
What can you expect from your Initial Visit
This is just the beginning of us getting to know each other and to look at what type of fostering might suit you and your family the best.
Before having a home visit, you will have spoken to one of our friendly support officers, who will have asked you a few questions about the type of fostering that you might like to do, about your employment, your experience with children and your accommodation. The home visit allows us to explore these details a little further and also to see what life might be like for the young person in your home.
They will also discuss in more detail about the training that is on offer and the stages of the application process. More importantly, it allows you the opportunity to ask any questions that you might have!
Find out more about the different stags of the fostering application process below.
Our recommended read
For meerkats Mia and Kit, they don’t like their new home and life one bit. They don’t like that they are expected to follow a new routine or their new bedroom and the foods they’re expected to eat. They also certainly do not like their new carer, Becky the Capybara. However when the meerkats, with their special cuddly dinosaur toys, stay with Becky and start getting to know her, they realise that they do have some similarities to build from. They discover a new home can be alright and that sometimes we can trust different and new people.
For any child, moving to somewhere new can be scary. This experience is multiplied for children in care, if they can no longer live with their birth parents. This process of learning to trust new carers can be made more difficult for children who may have experienced neglect, trauma and loss in their early lives.
This picture book explores what it’s like to move to a new place, and how children can develop their trust in new adults.
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