Fostering Devon newsletter 13/07/2018

Big Adventure Family Day Out - TOMORROW!

Join the Adventure and the Exmoor National Park Team for a fun family day out tomorrow 14th July 2018. Come and explore the natural world with activities all day including Fireside Cooking, Den Making, Bug Hunts and Short Walks. You may even get to meet an Exmoor Pony! We will meet you at Haddon Hill Car Park (TA4 2DS) from 10am onwards. PLEASE BRING PLENTY OF WATER AND A PACKED LUNCH AS THERE'S NO HANDY SHOP AROUND ON THE SITE. Email us at  childsc.fosteringregisteredmanager-mailbox@devon.gov.uk  for any queries.

Gala Dinner! - 23rd August 2018 

We are excited to announce the Foster Carers’ Gala Dinner has been booked!

The event will take place at The Great Hall, Exeter University on 23rd August 2018. We would like to invite you to The Great Hall from 7:00. p.m. where there will be a three-course meal and entertainment provided. Further details will be shared closer to the time.

This event is exclusively for approved carers to thank them for their hard work and support for DCC. We are offering 300 tickets first come first served. Please let us know you would like a ticket by emailing childsc.fosteringregisteredmanager-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.

Foster Carers Fees And Allowances - Consultation Events

Following the invitation to the consultation events we have had a strong response from many carers saying when they can attend.

We have also had carers who have said “It is the school holidays and we cannot attend the consultation events.”

The Fostering Service are very aware that carers want to have information about the proposals at the earliest opportunity and at the same time are aware that the school holidays will soon be here. Our challenge is that we need to give sufficient notice before the events so you can attend, and still complete the consultations before September so that we can present to Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet Committee in October. These Committee dates are set many months in advance and are an essential part of this process.

Therefore, the Fostering Service, in partnership with the Strategy Group, have agreed a flexible format for the consultation events. The consultation events will be ‘open-days’ where you can arrive when you want and stay for as long as you need. There will be displays and information for you to explore and make comment on at your own pace.

Children are not excluded from the venues and light refreshments and small activities will be available, they will remain your responsibility whilst on site.

These arrangements give maximum flexibility for you to have your voice heard.

As we said in the last newsletter we will listen to feedback and put on additional sessions if required. We will therefore be adding some additional sessions in early September for any carers who have been unable to attend.

In addition, copies of all materials will be made available for people to read. This will help inform your feedback and will be useful for anyone who cannot attend an event in person.

If you would like to confirm your attendance at an event or have any further questions, please email childsc.fosteringregisteredmanager-mailbox@devon.gov.uk .

Enterprise Day For Care Leavers - 31st July 2018

Please find attached a flyer for a Care Leavers Enterprise Day that is being held at County Hall on Tuesday 31st July. Please can you distribute this to as many relevant people as possible so that all of our care leavers have the chance to come along. The day is run by Careers South West and includes lots of practical advice and information to help develop work preparation skills. We recently ran a similar day for the Year 11s  which was very positively received and really useful for those that attended. Please contact Daniela Vincent from the Participation Team to confirm a place and so that we can plan for numbers. Contact - Daniela Vincent at: daniela.vincent@devon.gov.uk or 07772383959

Summer Theatre Week

PaddleBoat would like to give children who are fostered or in care an opportunity to work together for a week to create a brand new piece of theater, created entirely from their own imaginations.

Summer Theatre Week is held from Monday 30th July till Friday 3rd August, 10.30 - 3.30 in Thornlea Building, Exeter University, New North Road, Exeter EX4 4LA for children aged 5-11 who are in care or fostered, and their siblings. All free, thanks to Exeter City Council.

Accessing Dental Services In Devon  

I, and the Named Nurse for Children in Care and Care Leavers, Cathy Jermey recently met Foster Carers at training events and understand there are increasing difficulties accessing dentists. We are wishing to gather further information which evidences this and see if a resolution can be found for our Children in Care – so are asking for your help.

If this is an issue for your child/young person please could you contact the team (information below) and advise of:

-          The area you live in
-          What the issue is: on a waiting list for a dentist?
-          Have a dentist but waiting for an appointment?
-          And how long you have been advised the wait will be?
-          Impact on your young person?

If you could pass this information on by either email to our team: Vcl.devonchildrenincare@nhs.net (this is monitored daily by a CIC Nurse and our Business Support), or call the Single Point of Access on 0330 0245 321 and ask to speak to a CIC Nurse.

General useful contacts:

To find an NHS dentist with an open list: Tel 03330 063 300 or 01392 822 348 

The link below takes you to the Devon Health Promotion website which has leaflets about dental health for different age groups and general information and advice: www.healthyteethdevon.nhs.uk

(Ruth White, Lead Nurse CIC and Care Leavers)

Smokefree Devon Alliance Strategy And Action Plan 

The Alliance is aiming to reduce the prevalence of smoking across the population of Devon, with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable groups to become and remain smokefree.

A priority of the new strategy is to reduce the prevalence of smoking in children and young people, especially young people in care. This a particular interest of Phil Norrey, the Chief Executive who chairs the Alliance.

Are there any carers who would be interested in joining a task and finish group on this critical issue? If you are interested please contact childsc.fosteringregisteredmanager-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.

County Lines

Devon and Cornwall Police have put out a press release in order to make more people aware of County Lines and its presence in Devon, and to appeal to the public to report any suspicions. The campaign, and the press release, identifies ways that the public can spot the signs of such criminal activity, and makes it clear how to report it. Read more.

State of the Nation's Foster Care 2018

It’s an even numbered year, it’s the summer, there’s an international football tournament on, it can only mean one other thing – it’s time for The State of the Nation’s Foster Care survey!

Every two years we take the pulse of fostering to discover the most important issues facing foster carers. The findings from the survey are ideal for fostering services to benchmark their own performance, and we also use the results to influence governments to make foster care the very best it can be. Read our Impact Report to find out more about how we used this data to bring about change. 

The more foster carers who take the survey the more we can influence change, so please ask your carers to take part today by sharing this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RGLHBRY

If you have any questions about the survey please email us.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this really important survey.

(The Fostering Network)

Update From HMRC

HMRC has a range of digital support explaining what you need to do when it comes to tax.

During the ‘Recorded Webinar’ you’ll learn about qualifying care relief, how to record this on your tax return, and more. You can watch it at a time that suits you.

You can ask questions whenever you need to on HMRC’s Small Business Forum by clicking here. Experts are on hand to support you.

There’s also a useful ‘Online Guide for Foster Carers’, available whenever you need it.

Take a look at HMRC’s YouTube channel, which has short videos on ‘what you need to know’ for tax.

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.