Fostering News | Top tips for Christmas | New online training site | Roll of Honour | Fostering's Got Talent 2019 | Plus more... |

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Fostering News - December and Christmas update

Christmas

Welcome to our December Fostering News bulletin - Christmas is always a busy time of year for families and none more so than foster families. Within this bulletin you will find top tips for foster carers at Christmas, a message of thanks from the Fostering Service Manager, and we're delighted to also share our Roll of Honour for our long standing carers. The bulletin also features updates and news along with a ‘save the date’ for 2019’s Fostering’s Got Talent.

A Christmas message from the Fostering Service Manager

Fostering Christmas

Dear foster carers,

I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for all that you do for the children and young people that you care for. 

I would also like to thank your families and your children for supporting in the fostering task and for your commitment to fostering for Nottinghamshire County Council. I am extremely proud to be the service manager for fostering and privileged to work with such wonderful and dedicated foster carers as yourselves.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all.

Warmest wishes,  

Dawn Clark-Cain, Fostering Service Manager


Top tips for foster carers this Christmas

Top tips

Christmas can be a difficult period for children in care and for foster families it can seem a daunting time of year.

The fostering advice service, Fosterline, has written an excellent article about preparing and tackling Christmas as a foster family, including how to approach issues which could arise. Read their top tips for a successful and happy Christmas for all.

Read tips

Roll of Honour

star

Each December we recognise the long service milestones of our carers across the county. A big well done and thank you to all carers who have served the looked after children of Nottinghamshire for so many years!

 

10 years

Sue & Lee Henderson – South

Janet & Richard Smith – Central

Margaret Newbury – South

Victoria McKinlay – North

Bev & Carl Wilkinson – Central team

Lillian & Tony Britton – Short Breaks

 

15 years

Joanne & Dennis Rhule – South

Coral & Paul Painter – Fostering Futures

Vivien Kitchener – Central

Kelly & Phil Holmes – Central

Tracey & Owen Jervis – North

Jeanette & Martin Smith – Central
(and 15 years for Derbyshire too!)

Susan & David Skinner – Central

Susan Whiting – Central

Tracie & Simon Barlow – South

20 years

Annie Chappell – Central

Lara Chamberlain – Central

Christopher & Caroline Gibbons – Central  

Mark & Sharon Wilkinson – North

Toni & Paul Harbor – Fostering Futures

Michele & Jason Williams – South

 

30 years

June & Roger Bonser – Central

Susan & Derek Peck – Central

Cath & Stuart Gullen – Central

John & Michelle Phimister – South

 

50 years

Tony & Linda Beech – North

 

 

 

PACE poster

Many of you will be familiar with the theraputic parenting style called PACE.

Download the full size bright and colourful poster below, which helpfully outlines the key points of PACE that you can use at home with your foster children. 

Download PACE poster

 

[Shared from the nibblesandbubbles website]

PACE

My Learning My Career

All Nottinghamshire County Council foster carers are now able to book yourselves onto upcoming training courses via our new 'My Learning My Career' site.

You can also access and complete online learning from the comfort of your own home, all of which can count towards your mandatory 20 hours of training to be completed each year:

My Learning My Career


If you need assistance logging in please contact your locality fostering support officer, or if you are logged in but are still having difficulties, please email trainingadmin.pr@nottscc.gov.uk.

My learning

Sons and daughters event 2018

In the summer holidays, we took a group of sons and daughters of foster carers' to the Mill Adventure Base as a small gesture to say thank you to them for opening up their homes and for sharing their families with other children. In October, all our sons and daughters were also sent a certificate of appreciation and gift voucher.

Read about the event to see how they got on.

Sons and daughters review

S & A

Family Justice Young People’s Board (FJYPB)

The FJYPB have devised these top tips for social workers who work and engage with children and young people in the family courts to encourage best practice. The list was written by the children attending the youth justice board and is a clear message for the way the children wish to be treated and listened to by any worker involved with them.

Read the list

FJYPB

Fostering’s Got Talent - save the date

Next year’s Fostering’s Got Talent event will be on Friday 10th May 2019 and we are excited to announce that, for the first time, each entry will be receiving a prize! In previous years, only the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places have won a prize, however next year all our entries will be winners! Whether you, your whole family, your children (both birth and foster) wish to participate or just want to be in the audience, please get this date in your diary so we can make 2019’s Fostering's Got Talent the biggest and best yet! 

FGT

Comings and goings

This October we said goodbye to Pam Morland, supervising social worker from the Short Breaks Team. Pam worked for the Council for 33 years and we wish her a very happy and well-earned retirement. She will be hugely missed by all the staff and carers who she supported for many years.

A thank you from the Fostering Group Manager

Dear foster carers,

I would like to thank all of you who have taken part in our consultation. We have had an excellent response which once again demonstrates the commitment you have to the rewarding but challenging task you undertake. Your input into the process has been invaluable and we have listened to your ideas and suggestions about how we can improve not only our support and offer to our current carers but how we can recruit more internal carers to care for the looked after children of Nottinghamshire. Given your experiences as carers this will be invaluable to any future decisions and planning. Myself and Steve Edwards, Service Director, Children's Social Care, have been extremely impressed with the carers we have met and spoken to and we are excited about the future of fostering within Nottinghamshire. We are in the process of arranging dates in 2019 to hold fostering conferences and want to make these a useful and valued event that you will all be committed to. We will be in touch again in the New Year with further details.

May I also take this opportunity to wish you, your families and all of the children you care for a very Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.

Claire Sampson
Group Manager - Looked After Children, Leaving Care and Regulated Services

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