Fostering News: important Coronavirus updates for foster carers and staff

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Fostering News

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Welcome to the April edition of Fostering News. We have some really important updates for foster carers and colleagues regarding the impact of Coronavirus on the service and the way we work, including a date change for Fostering’s Got Talent

Fostering’s Got Talent postponed

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We are really sad to announce that we will not be able to hold Fostering’s Got Talent in May as planned due to the uncertain situation across the UK around public gatherings. We will be looking to find a new date as soon as possible, so please keep an eye out for an update in the future. We continue to encourage you all to enter so that we can make it the biggest and best event yet!

Coronavirus service disruptions

While all face-to-face training is postponed until further notice, please take a look at the free online learning, podcasts, books and TV programmes available that you may find useful to keep on top of your training.

Online training resources

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Don't forget that with your Inspire Nottinghamshire Library membership, you have access to a wealth of online resources including audio books, eBooks, online learning and activities for families and children.

Not a member yet? Don't worry, you can sign up online for free!

Visit the Inspire website

Update on car insurance for foster carers

Following the information in our last email update, we'd like to let you know that our service policy requires carers to have business cover as a mandatory requirement, so that all our carers are adequately covered for all eventualities. Please speak to your supervising social worker if you have any queries about this update.

Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)

The fostering service has been undertaking a review of all foster carer cases in line with the recommendations from the IICSA review. This does not replace the foster carer annual review and is an internal review undertaken by our fostering service. We remain wholly committed to the safeguarding of children in our care and will endeavour to update you with our progress.

New practice of regularly changing Supervising Social Workers

From April 2020, Nottinghamshire Fostering Service will be adopting the practice of regularly changing supervising social workers every few years to ensure our foster carers access a diverse range of support and learning tools from different supervisors. This practice is adopted by many other fostering agencies - some of our fostering teams are already doing this and the feedback has been positive!

We appreciate that many of our foster carers and looked after children/young people often appreciate the consistency of having the same Supervising Social Worker over the years and develop positive relationships. We also acknowledge that foster carers, like children and young people, need a secure base.

Therefore, as a fostering service we believe that whilst there are clear benefits of changing supervising social worker, any future changes will require a carefully managed and balanced approach which takes the needs of our children in care, and foster carers, into account. Any potential changes of Supervising Social Worker will be discussed in supervision and addressed within foster carer annual reviews.

Updates, advice and support

You will soon receive weekly communications from our Fostering Service Manager, Ty Yousaf, to keep you up to date with essential information during the Coronavirus outbreak.

If you have any queries in the meantime and you are not able to contact your supervising social worker, you can email the recruitment team (fostering@nottscc.gov.uk) and we will direct your emails to the manager on duty to assist as quickly as possible. We hope these measures will help you in these unprecedented times.

For more information and advice, you can sign up to the Council’s health and wellbeing email, which includes regular updates and advice on the current Coronavirus situation. Sign up at the bottom of the Coronavirus webpage. You can also follow the Council on Twitter and Facebook for regular updates and helpful information. Please remember to always get your advice and information from trusted sources such as the Council, central Government, the NHS and Public Health England.

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