Fostering
Fostering is the heart warming journey of opening your home and heart to a child in need, providing them with the stability and care they deserve. It’s about creating a nurturing environment where children can heal, grow, and thrive when they can’t be with their birth families.
In the United Kingdom, nearly 70,000 children find love, support and a sense of belonging with over 53,000 foster family. We need more people like them to be there for our children in need. We need people from all backgrounds, with all sorts of life experiences and skills to support looked after children.
Being a foster carer isn’t just about offering a place to stay; it’s about offering hope, compassion, and a sense of belonging. It’s the chance to make a profound difference in a child’s life, guiding them through difficult periods, and to celebrate their successes. Every moment spent fostering is a step towards building a brighter future for a child, filled with endless possibilities and unconditional love.
Foster care gives children the chance to lead safe and more fulfilling lives when that possibility is no longer feasible for them at their birth home. Whilst some children may be able to return to their birth family after a while, for others, fostering is more of a long-term solution. In some cases, you may even find yourself at short notice supporting a child for just a couple of hours. Everyone's journey through fostering is different and people can choose to specialise in different ways as they progress. However, you will always act as a vital part of a professional team providing a loving family environment for children.
In the south west, like most other areas, the number of children entering the care system is rising whilst at the same time, fewer people are making the decision to make foster care a part of their lives. Fostering South West aims to grow the number of fostering families across the region, working with your local authority to enable you to care for children in your local communities who need it most.
Fostering South West is a partnership of 15 local councils from across the region with a shared goal - recruit and support more foster carers to provide safe, loving and local homes for children in our communities.
Our partnership ensures prospective local council foster carers across the south west have access to a centralised platform for support and enquiries, making it a better time than ever to consider fostering for your local council.
Why foster for your local council
We asked foster carers already fostering for their local councils why prospective foster carers should choose to foster for their local council and this is what they told us;
- Keep children local – Allowing them to continue to live in the community they know and where they feel safe, with as little change as possible. Leading to more positive outcomes for children.
- Community Focus – Fostering with your local council allows you to support children within your own community. This can help maintain the child’s connections with their local area, schools, friends and family.
- Support and Resources – Local councils typically provide robust support networks, including access to social workers, training programmes, and local resources. This can be particularly beneficial for new foster carers.
- Training and Development – Local councils often offer comprehensive training programs tailored to the needs of their foster carers, ensuring you are well-prepared and supported in your role.
- Work with a not-for-profit – As local councils, we are proud to operate as not-for-profit entities. Acting with the best interests and needs of the children we care for and our foster carers at the heart of everything we do.
- Increased speed of matching – Local councils often prioritise finding children homes with their own foster carers first. This means there is often little time your home would have an empty bed.
- Fees and allowances - These are paid by your local council and designed to support foster carers best care for children. All foster carers receive a weekly allowance covering the costs of caring for a foster child, and on top of this receive fee payments recognising their work. This will vary based on the number of children in their care, age and need.
Ready to start your fostering journey or just want more information?
Whether you are ready to start your fostering journey or just have some more questions, please visit our website and get in touch with a member of our team today!
www.fosterwithyourlocalcouncil.org.uk
The collaboration between Moodbears and fostering south west can create a profoundly positive impact on children in foster care.
Emotional Support for Foster Children
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Understanding Complex Emotions:
- Foster children often experience a wide range of emotions due to their circumstances. Moodbears can help them identify and express these feelings in a safe and nurturing way.
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Building Emotional Resilience:
- The comforting presence of Moodbears can aid in building emotional resilience, helping children cope with transitions and challenges they may face in foster care.
Creating a Safe Space
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Providing Comfort and Stability:
- Moodbears can offer a sense of stability and comfort, acting as a constant companion during times of change, which is crucial for children who might frequently move between homes.
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Facilitating Communication:
- Foster children might struggle to articulate their feelings. Moodbears can serve as a tool for communication, allowing children to convey emotions they might not otherwise express.
Supporting Foster Caregivers
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Aiding Caregivers in Emotional Discussions:
- Moodbears can be used by foster caregivers to initiate conversations about emotions, making it easier for them to connect with the children in their care.
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Training and Resources:
- Fostering teams can benefit from the educational resources that accompany Moodbears, enhancing their ability to support children's emotional development effectively.
Promoting Positive Mental Health
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Encouraging Healthy Coping Mechanisms:
- By integrating Moodbears into their daily routines, fostering teams can encourage children to develop healthy coping mechanisms for managing stress and anxiety.
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Supporting Long-Term Well-Being:
- The use of Moodbears can contribute to the long-term emotional well-being of foster children, helping them build a solid foundation for a happier, healthier future.
By working together, Moodbears and fostering south west can create a nurturing environment that supports the emotional growth and development of foster children, providing them with the tools they need to thrive.
Can you find all the words?
Complete your Mood Bears wordsearch and send over your answers or tag us on social media!
Happy Bear
Happy Bear is a bright yellow bear,
With a personality that’s sunny.
Happy looks on the brighter side of life,
And loves to be smiley and funny.
Happy brightens everyone’s day ,
With just a simple cuddle.
Happy is always there for you ,
If you’re feeling in a bit of a muddle.
To hop, jump,skip and play,
Makes Happy smile with glee.
Everyone in Happys life,
Is as happy as can be.
Sad Bear
Sad Bear looks sad and gloomy ,
But makes the best of friends.
No matter how you are feeling,
Sad Bear’s with you as day ends.
Sad Bear will calm your nerves,
And sooth away your fears.
Snuggle you when feeling sad,
And wipe away your tears.
Sad Bear to you and I,
The bear that’s always blue.
Sad Bear brings you happiness
And is always there for you
Silly Bear
When the world gets far too serious
and you’re in need of a giggle,
Silly Bear will be there,
with the most contagious wiggle.
Telling the funniest jokes,
pulling the funniest faces.
Silly is rarely serious,
even in the most important places.
Forever having lots of fun,
Silly Bears face is rarely straight.
So embrace your own silly side,
be silly with your new best mate!
Nervous Bear
If ever you’re feeling anxious,
Or slightly out of sorts,
Spend time to to tell Nervous Bear
All your anxious thoughts
This bear knows more than most,
Why sometimes we get nervous.
Calming moods and lightening loads,
It’s Nervous Bears sole purpose
Any friends of Nervous Bear,
Is a lucky friend of course!
So snuggle up with Nervous Bears
bright green fluffy paws
Love Bear
Love Bear loves all!
Big or small, far or near,
Just a cuddle from this little bear,
Will make your heart cheer.
Love is all around us,
Sometimes hard to understand.
A cuddle from this little bear,
You’ll feel love from holding hands.
With bright red fuzzy fur,
And a warm welcome heart,
You’ll love this little bear,
Right from the very start.
Hope Bear
Hope bear is bright and colourful
and holds all the Mood Bear shades.
Hope wears a beautiful rainbow
that will brighten up your days.
When days are really difficult ,
much harder than is seems
Hope turns the storms to rainbows
and Helps you reach your dreams.
On days when life just gets you down
and feels a little blue,
Hopes brightly coloured rainbow
is always there for you.
Calm Bear
When stress and worry come your way
Just know you are not alone.
Calm bear will be there with you
By your side in the unknown.
His calm green fur is soothing
And he’s very soft to cuddle.
His ears are also great at listening
For when you are in a muddle.
So share your worries with Calm bear
And he’ll take them all away,
So you can be yourself again
And continue with your day
Angry Bear
Angry bear is orange
Just like a fiery temper
But on the inside he’s full of love
And wants to be your helper.
When you’re feeling angry
And all out of control
Just give this bear a great big squeeze
He will help calm down your soul.
He’ll take all of your anger
But he won’t let it show
Apart from on his feet of course
The rest is all let go.