Thrive
Thrive secures grant to improve young people's educational opportunities
The Fostering Network Wales magazine for young people,Thrive, has been awarded a grant from The Welsh Assembly Government to write a further two special editions focussing on education. The first guide relating to looked after children’s issues relating to school can be downloaded from this website. The second, focussing on higher education will follow in summer 2008.
Thrive editor, Maria Boffey, said "we are delighted that the Welsh Assembly Government has given us this opportunity to continue our work with young people. The continued success of Thrive is due to all the fostered young people from around Wales who share their ideas with us. They live with the realities of foster care day in, day out. There’s no doubt that without them, we wouldn’t have the same understanding about the challenges they face in doing well at school".
Thrive special edition for sons and daughters
A special edition of our young people's magazine Thrive has been published especially for the sons and daughters of foster carers.
"The Fostering Network believes that these children and young people have a right to be involved in the decisions affecting them, that they should be recognised and valued for the role they play in helping fostering placements work, and that they are entitled to appropriate levels of support. I hope that this edition of Thrive will help promote these rights and give us all some food for thought".
Editor, Maria Boffey
If you require extra copies of this edition of Thrive, please email maria.boffey@fostering.net.
Download back issues
Thrive has been discontinued but you can download back issues here
Thrive - what we achieved
Thrive aimed to empower young people affected by foster care and provide a legitimate platform from which they could express their views.
Articles for Thrive were mainly gathered from young people affected by foster care in a supported, facilitated workshop environment. We believe that this offered young people involved in foster care a unique opportunity to:
- express their concerns
- contribute ideas
- share experiences and support one another
- develop skills and the confidence to present their ideas
- identify the key issues that they face
- be involved in the shaping of foster care in Wales by presenting their ideas to the people who can make things change for the better.
In October 2005, the Welsh Assembly's Children's Minister, Jane Hutt, observed one of our workshops and commented: "It's so important that young people's views are heard and taken [into] account".
The Minister also requested that copies of the newsletter be sent to all Assembly members and invited a group of young people to meet with her later on in the year.
The magazine has been distributed to nearly 90 per cent of fostering households in Wales. We estimate that this would reach 1740 fostered children (aged 10-18 years) and also be read by the sons and daughters of foster carers.
To learn more about this project or for a hard copy of Thrive email maria.boffey@fostering.net.