News - December 2007
Catalogue of foster care materials goes live
The Foster Care Resource Centre's catalogue of foster care materials went online at the beginning of October. This catalogue, which has details of over 5,000 books, reports, websites and multimedia resources on all aspects of foster care, was previously only available to staff of the Fostering Network. It includes many links to free online resources and can now be accessed by members of the Fostering Network through the website by logging in and going to www.fostering.net/resources. If you don't have your login details email web@fostering.net.
Children and Young Persons Bill introduced
The Children and Young Persons Bill 2007 recently had its second reading in parliament. This Bill is based on the Government strategy laid out in the Care Matters: Time for Change white paper which was published earlier this year. The Bill aims to improve the quality of life of children and young people in care by introducing a wide range of measures such as bursaries for additional educational activities and restricting out of borough placements. More information about the bill is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/childrenandyoungpersonsbill. The Fostering Network and BAAF have produced a joint briefing for the second reading.
Mentoring project launched by the Fostering Network
The Fostering Network has received funding from the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to carry out an extensive study into peer mentoring schemes for foster carers in England, and specifically their role in supporting the Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care in England. We would like to receive feedback from foster carers and their fostering services so it would help the study enormously if you could take the time to complete this online survey by 31 December at www.fostering.net/activities/england/mentoring.php.
2008 is the National Year of Reading
New Year's day will mark the beginning of the national year of reading. From April 2008 there will be a monthly theme and a range of resources and other goodies to encourage readers young and old. More information is available at www.yearofreading.org.uk.
What does it mean to be a professional foster carer?
The Fostering Network has drafted a policy on the professionalisation of foster care and there is now a chance to comment on it before the policy is finalised. More information, the policy document and how to take part in the consultation is available at www.fostering.net/news_campaigns/campaigns/consultations.php.
Government consults on the impact of the internet on children
How do you feel about the effect of video games and the internet on children and young people? Here is your chance to contribute to a Government review on the subject. The Byron review consultation was launched on 24 October 2007 and will close on 17 December. Children and young people can also take part in the review. To find out more, go to www.dfes.gov.uk/byronreview. The findings of the review will be published in March 2008.
Share your experiences of issues around attachment and education
Anne Collis is writing two post-approval books for foster carers to be published in 2008 by the Fostering Network. One is on attachment. The other is on education. To ensure that the books address the real needs of foster carers over their first few years of fostering, Anne would like to know:
- What do you think foster carers need to know about attachment?
- What do you think foster carers need to know about education?
- What makes it easier or harder to foster children or young people in relation to attachment or education?
If you have examples that might help the books feel more "real", you can email your thoughts or examples to Anne Collis at anne@socialinterface.co.uk.
The Fostering Network seeks more support for disabled children and their foster carers
Current estimates are that between 10 and 26 per cent of children in care are disabled. For many foster carers, caring for children with a disability means they are faced with a range of challenges and concerns over and above those facing other foster families. The Fostering Network would like to help secure the support its members need and want to hear the views and experiences of as many foster carers as possible, including short break carers, to inform the shape of our project. For more information and to take part in our questionnaire, go to www.fostering.net/news_campaigns/campaigns/disability.php.
