Fostering Devon newsletter 23/08/2018

Gala Dinner 7pm TONIGHT

Gala dinner is taking place TONIGHT in Exeter. All foster carers are invited to this event which will include a three course meal, a live band and dancing. 

Sadly, we have just been informed that our special guest speaker Rachel Waddilove, author, broadcaster and nanny to the stars and royalty, will no longer be able to join us due to unforeseen personal circumstances. Our thoughts are with Rachel and her Family. 

We now have Ian Thomas as a new guest speaker for a night of our celebration! Ian is a former looked after child and is currently working within fostering, addiction and youth offending sector utilising his experience and insight personally and professionally to improve the quality of care children and young people receive.   

Please email us at childsc.fosteringregisteredmanager-mailbox@devon.gov.uk for any queries.

We are looking forward to seeing you there tonight!

GCSE Results Day TODAY

Just a reminder for carers that Colleges and School have designated staff to help get prepared for the next Academic year and to ensure there are places for Children in care. Virtual School colleagues are also around to offer guidance and act as Advocates.

Go to Education of children in care – Devon Virtual School site for more info on your local Learning Advocate.

I Can Foster…

As part of our ‘I can foster’ recruitment campaign we are making a TV advert to encourage anyone considering fostering to get in touch with us. The advert will be shown on Sky TV in the New Year, and used on our website and social media channels.

We would like to show the many faces of fostering, the diversity of people who become foster carers for Devon children, dispelling myths around the ‘types’ of people who foster. To do this with authenticity we would really like to use Devon foster carers in the advert.  

The advert will hopefully be filmed on a weekend at the end of September/early October. It will be made up of a series of portrait shots of different carers in a natural pose, it may show something about the personality of the carer, perhaps an interest or hobby that is enjoyed such as cycling/watersports/art/gardening/dance/coffee with friends, or a uniform that is worn at work or in your hobby, a wetsuit/cycle helmet/gardening gloves for example. We are still exploring different ideas but we know we would like to show the enjoyment and rewards fostering can bring, and involve real carers from all walks of life, carers of all ages, sexes, both couples and singles.  

You don’t need to have any experience, you won’t need to act, in fact we want you just as you are, you may just have to say a few words.

If you would be happy to be involved (we hope to reimburse expenses) please email Rachel.mildon@devon.gov.uk and we’ll be in touch with more information as soon as possible.  

New Password Reminder

Please note that the password for Approved Carer Zone of Fostering Devon's has recently changed. The new password is FCDCCws1. The username stays same as dcc.foster .

Respite Reminder

Respite care is required in a number of different circumstances. For example, a full time foster carer may need a holiday or they may have urgent family commitments. Sometimes if a fostering placement is particularly challenging respite may be arrange for them to have a short break from the placement. The entitlement for respite is 14 days paid respite per year with additional support being agreed if the child’s needs it and is agreed in the Care Plan. The details are included in the Allowance and Fees booklet accessed via the Approved Carer Zone on the website.

Please work with your supervising social worker to plan your respite in advance where possible as this really helps in the planning.

The Placement Support Team is a key cornerstone of the support offered to Devon Foster Carers and is a service to be rightly proud of. The Placement Support Team provides planned and crisis interventions. The support has a clear focus and is having a marked difference in the lives of young people and carers. Please click on link to learn more.  https://www.fosteringindevon.org.uk/guide/resources/childrens-placement-support-team/

Step Forward

The HR Apprenticeship team are currently developing ‘Step Forward’, an employability programme for care-leavers aged 16 to 25.  

The programme offers a wide range of opportunities including work experience, access to qualifications in English and Maths, short courses where you can learn from home, careers advice and coaching, all within a personalised plan tailored to meet the individuals’ needs.  

We will be holding ‘Step Forward Week’ during w/c 24th September across various locations where young people can sit down with one of the Step Forward Team on an informal, one to one basis (they are welcome to bring someone with them) to explore interests, skills and career ideas and how the programme may support them to achieve these. It will also be an opportunity to discuss any barriers they may face in accessing the programme and how these can be overcome. As part of the induction session an initial individualised programme will be developed for the young person based on what has been discussed and what we have on offer.  

We would really appreciate your support in raising awareness about the programme and helping to engage our young people; it would be great if you could share the attached poster with anyone you know of who might benefit from the programme. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact the team whose details are included on the poster.

Refer A Friend Scheme - up to £500 when you refer a friend to foster

As you are a foster carer you will know how personally rewarding it is to help shape a child’s future. So if you are passionate about what you do, and can think of a friend or family member who would be a great foster carer, why don’t you tell them about our Refer a Friend Scheme? 

You could receive up to £500 for every person you refer if they become an approved foster carer for Fostering Devon – click here to read more.