Fostering Newsletter

Fees and Allowances Update

As the fees and allowances project moves forward a foster carer implementation group has been set up, their role will be to represent the views of all carers and to act as a sounding board for this next important phase of the project.  

Members of the group come from all the current tiers and types of fostering, as well as members of the DFCA and the IWGB, alongside social workers and Fostering Devon managers.

The group will be encouraged to review the wording of the different areas of the implementation phase including checking the clarity of presentation of the assessment process, training & support group principles and payment protection amongst other things.

We will keep you posted on progress via the newsletter. If you have any questions, please do get in touch via the fostering mailbox.

Annual Fostering Conference

Fostering Devon hosted another successful foster carer conference on the 31st October, the day was attended by 150 carers and staff from across the county. The guest speaker was Sarah Naish.

Sarah qualified as a social worker in 1991 and is a Therapeutic Parent of five adopted children. It is this experience that she applied to a successful therapeutic model within the fostering agency she previously owned.
Sarah used a mixture of theoretical, practical and illustrative examples to help explain what compassion fatigue looks like, how it happens and shared tools to help carers better deal with it. Everyone found Sarah very engaging and easy to relate to with her examples of what had happened with her own children. The day was delivered in a professional manner with a splash of humour throughout.
The event was also attended by Lifelong Links, FosterTalk, CAMHS and the Participation Team at Devon County Council. 

"Thank you for such an amazing day. Sarah Naish was brilliant, her honesty was so refreshing, it meant so much to hear first-hand what she had experienced as a carer, she was funny yet didn't mince her words which made it such a valuble day. The organisation and facilities provided were also really excellent, thank you so much."-Kim Brachtvogel, Fostering Devon Carer.  

Calling all young people, in care and care leavers, aged 11 and over!

We'd love to see more children and young people coming to our Children in Care Council meetup on Saturday 17th November at 10:30am. Places are limited but we do have a few left. If you're 11 or over, want to meet up with other people in care, have fun and get involved in having a say about how things are run, look no further!

To tell us your child might like to come please click here and complete your contact details. Even if you can't come on the day we'll be doing more so get in touch to stay involved. 
Under 16s will need a consent form completed by their foster parent or guardian. Email back to the participation mail box.

UASC-Support, Opportunity & Develop

Devon County Council have a new service for UASC/Young People placed in Devon. The service has 3 elements to the projects which aims to link UASC to their communities.

Volunteer Support-There is an offer for volunteers to come and work alongside a UASC at least 1 hour every 2 weeks.

• Learn about British Culture 
• Offer of friendship
• Build links to the community
• Learn dependent living skills
• Learn about volunteering opportunities 
• Give focused time to practice English
  

Opportunities-There will be different opportunities to get involved throughout the year. This may be...

• Specific youth clubs that focus on independent living skills
• Team building events 
• Regular meetups with young people in similar situations
• Being part of community events
• Opportunities of work or volunteer placements

Develop-There is an opportunity to develop the project further and make a real change in how the project is shaped.

• Be part of regular meetings shaping the service UASC receive.
• Go on residentials
• Learn new skills you can apply to a career
• Gain experience that you can put on your CV

For more information please contact James or Karina.

An Unmissable Family Pantomime-Friday 4th January 2019

Following last years successful night to say thank you to Devon Foster Carers, we have managed to repeat it again for this year!
Steve Bennett returns as Dame Dotty Trott, leading a cast of 8. The familiar tale will see beloved jack embark on an epic adventure, trading the beloved family cow, Daisy, before a showdown with Baron Fleshcreep and the Giant. 
Tickets will be limited and they are offered on a "first come, first serve" basis. Please submit your expression of interest by email. Put in the subject line 'Pantomime' followed by your area ie. North. In the email please state the number of tickets you require and the names of the people who want to attend. (Please note this is an expression of interest and does not secure you a ticket.) More information will follow if you're successful.

Contacting Training

Please note that the email address in the training manual, does not appear to be working.  If you need to contact training please use this.  

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.