New Year’s Resolutions for the Whole Family

The new year is nearly here, and many people are making new year’s resolutions and promises about what they will and won’t do next year. Though many resolutions fail, either because they are too ambitious or people are simply too lazy, making small changes and setting easy to manage expectations can lead to healthy habits that will stick.

Having other people holding you accountable works wonders in sticking with resolutions, so creating them as a group can really help. Here are some great ideas for resolutions for the whole family that you can easily keep.

Have some quality family time every day

Our lives are extremely busy and between work, school, clubs, hobbies, and chores, it can be hard for the family to spend much quality time with each other. This is especially hard with older children, because if they’re not out with friends during the weekend, they’re usually sleeping or in their rooms playing computer games or watching TV.

Scheduling a little bit of time each day – even if it’s only thirty minutes – can really help you feel closer as a family. It could be anything, from a short evening walk or trip to the park, to sitting and watching your favourite TV show or reading a book together.

Try to eat dinner together as often as possible

As we already mentioned, families often have busy schedules. This can make it difficult for everybody to eat dinner together. However, make a rule that everybody eats their evening meal together, at the table. This may mean making dinner a little later, and giving the kids a healthy snack to tide them over until later. This meal time ritual gives you the chance to make sure that everybody is eating what they should be, and also gives you a good chance to catch up and find out how everybody’s day was.

Schedule a weekly ‘family meeting’

Everybody wants to feel like they’re being heard, especially children and teenagers. Sometime’s people’s voices can get a little lost in the chaos, and children can feel frustrated that nobody listens to what they have to say. Scheduling a time for everybody to sit down and discuss any issues they are having will help promote healthy conflict resolution and should lead to fewer arguments and fights. Go around the table and give everybody a chance to have their say, and then work together to solve the problem.

Plan a fun day out at least once a month

We all need something to look forward to, especially kids. Plan something fun at least once a month that everybody can get excited for. It’s also a good idea to let different people choose what you do each time, so that everybody feels included. It doesn’t have to be expensive; many museums and art galleries have free entry and lots of fun special events for kids, or you could drive to the beach or go on a hike and have a picnic. 

Limit Screen Time

It’s tempting –  especially in the cold winter months – to just come home from work or school and crash in front of the TV or computer. However, there is such a thing as too much screen time. Though this will probably not be a popular choice at first (especially with teenagers!), try to limit screen time in your home.
An easy way to do this is by having an ‘unplugged’ hour, when you turn off the TV and put down phones, and do something that doesn’t require electricity for sixty minutes. This time could be spent reading, learning a new skill such as musical instrument, going for a walk or doing another sport, or playing board games.

Get Creative in the Kitchen

We can all eat healthier, and what better way to get kids interested in healthy food than introducing them to it in the kitchen. Make it a goal to have the kids help prepare at least one meal a week, and get them to choose a healthy recipe they’d like to try. They’re much more likely to attempt to each something healthy if they helped prepare it. Of course, occasionally let them make something more fun such as cakes or another kind of dessert!

The post New Year’s Resolutions for the Whole Family appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/new-years-resolutions-for-the-whole-family/

What Benefits Can I Claim If I’m A Foster Carer?

If you’re caring, determined and looking to make a real difference, fostering could be perfect for you. The emotional rewards of supporting children when they need you the most is often the main driver for foster carers.

 

It’s important not to forget the financial side of things though. If you’re the special kind of person who can become a great foster carer, it can be a rewarding career on all fronts. Both in terms of making a positive impact and thanks to strong financial incentives.

 

In this article we’ll explore the allowances and support on offer and how they can work alongside existing benefits as well.

 

If you’re looking for a quick reference point follow the content links below:

• How Does Fostering Affect My Current Benefits?
• Means Tested Benefits
• Do I Receive Any Other Benefits As A Foster Carer?
• In Summary

 

How Does Fostering Affect My Current Benefits?

 

Whether you’re a single carer or bringing foster children into your own family, you need to consider the benefits you’re entitled to. Becoming a foster carer could alter any benefits you’re currently receiving as well.

 

Let’s explore the most common benefit entitlements currently available and the impact foster care can have on them.

 

Child Benefit

 

A regular question we come across is “can I claim child benefit when fostering?”

 

Put simply, you can continue to claim child benefit for your own children and other children that live with you, however you can’t claim for children that you’re fostering. That’s because you get a maintenance allowance and reward payment for each foster child in your care.

 

Age and gender is also important in terms of how often you’ll have a child placed with you. For example, if you’re happy to take teenagers as well and younger children, you’ll find your fostering services in very high demand. This will have a direct impact on the consistency of your payments.

 

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Carers Allowance

 

If you start fostering a child under 16 who is currently claiming, or should be claiming, DLA, you’re entitled to this benefit. You’ll need to get in touch with the Disability Benefit Unit to make sure everything is in order.

 

In addition, if a child in your care is entitled to the middle rate care component of DLA you’ll be able to claim carers allowance too. This works for each child in care, meaning a separate allowance is paid per person.

 

Means Tested Benefits

 

The status of being an “approved foster carer” has a slightly different impact on means tested benefits, in comparison to being employed. It’s worth noting when you become a foster carer you might still be able to claim means tested benefits.

 

The most common means tested benefits we get asked about include:

 

Income Support and Working Tax Credits

If you work less than 16 hours a week, income support is a benefit you might be entitled to as a foster carer.

 

Alternatively, you might deem foster caring as work or have an additional income stream. That can entitle you to claim working tax credit.

 

Both can be extremely helpful and are well worth exploring in more detail. Many foster carers will benefit from one or the other.

 

Job Seekers Allowance

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) doesn’t officially treat fostering in the same way as work. That means if you’re actively seeking employment you might be able to claim, or continue claiming, job seekers allowance.

You need to make sure you’re available to work 40 hours per week whilst waiting for a placement. This reduces to 16 hours per week if you’re looking after a foster child. Suffice to say you need to have at least reasonable prospects of securing work and be actively seeking employment to claim this particular benefit.

 

Employment And Support Allowance (ESA)

If you’re ill or disabled but still able to become an “approved foster carer” you may also be able to claim ESA. This benefit is designed to provide financial support if you can’t work. It will also deliver assistance to get you back to work, if possible.

 

Council Tax Reduction And Housing Benefit

Generally speaking, if you’re on housing benefits or get reduced council tax these aren’t normally affected when you become a foster carer.

If you’re a tenant in the private rented sector your housing benefit will be based on where you live and how many rooms you require. Similarly if you’re under the pension credit age and living in the social rented sector, rooms will play a part in your entitlement.

 

It’s worth noting that for both you’ll get an extra room entitlement when you have a foster child under your roof. This is also the case while you’re waiting for a placement in the first 12 months after becoming an “approved foster carer”.

 

Need More Information?

 

If you need any further advice about means tested benefits and whether you’ll be allowed to maintain or add entitlements when you become a foster carer, you should visit gov.uk for more information.

 

Do I Receive Any Other Benefits As A Foster Carer?

 

Not all fostering agencies are the same and it’s important to pick wisely to maximise your income. Choosing to become a foster carer through Perpetual Fostering means you’ll gain many additional benefits.

 

You’ll be self-employed through ourselves and need to complete your own tax returns and national insurance contributions, giving you added flexibility and freedom for other business interests and work. That said, you’ll still benefit from a two-week, paid, break, along with other arranged down-time too.

 

We also endeavour to help our foster carers become the very best they can be. It’s important that you never feel like you’re on your own. That’s why we allocate each fostering household an experienced social worker to support you 24/7. By undertaking regular home visits and daily calls, we’ll make sure you’re fully supported at all times.

 

A final thing to take into account, in addition to all the other benefits you could be entitled to, is the fact that you will be paid per child. For example, if you’re looking after two children you’ll be entitled to two lots of maintenance allowance and reward payments.

 

In Summary

 

We hope you’ve found this article helpful and are now even more excited by the prospect of becoming a foster carer. It’s important to understand that fostering might not have the negative impact on your benefits that you perhaps thought it would.

Helping young people integrate into a loving environment is a top priority for local authorities and national government. With money being invested and pay provided for each placed child, there’s never been a better time to apply to become a registered foster carer.

 

In addition to being a fantastically rewarding career, it’s evident that fostering can also make excellent financial sense.

 

For more information take a look at our in-depth guide by clicking here.  

 

The post What Benefits Can I Claim If I’m A Foster Carer? appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/what-benefits-can-i-claim-if-im-a-foster-carer/

Can I Foster? Top Tips on Becoming a Foster Carer in the UK

“Can I foster?” It’s a question we hear loads of times. Prospective foster carers with big hearts but not much information otherwise on what goes into becoming a foster parent often ask that question, along with many others related to the entire process. The truth is there is much that goes into meeting the requirements for fostering. Here’s an in-depth look into what it takes and how to go about starting your journey towards foster parenting.

The Foster Carer Manifesto

If you’ve begun to ask the question “can I foster” of yourself, well done you — you’ve begun down a long, challenging, and potentially rewarding path. There’s any number of children in the UK who are in need of foster parenting, and wanting to throw your hat into the ring in order to become one of those much-needed foster carers takes courage, dedication, compassion, and patience.

This is, of course, not quite so different than being the parent of a biological child, at least when it comes to mindset. However, it takes a special person, with a special mindset, to foster a child or young person. Because of their varied needs, foster children will often require a foster carer or foster parent to undertake additional emotional responsibilities; you may need to demonstrate even higher levels of emotional support towards a foster child as a result.

Yet your typical foster carer knows these things, perhaps almost on an instinctual level. You don’t say to yourself “can I foster” without thinking long and hard about what it means to take on such a responsibility to a child or young person in need. Becoming a foster carer isn’t a hobby or a job so much as it’s a career or a calling; only those that are supremely dedicated to the idea of providing children in need with the kind of physical, social, and emotional support they need to grow into happy and healthy adult members of society.

The Technical Requirements of What it Takes to Become a Foster Carer

Having the right attitude and emotional approach to the important job of becoming a foster parent is, admittedly, of crucial importance to the foster care process. At the same time, though, there are some technicalities that you’ll have to satisfy if you do wish to become involved in the lives of children as their foster carer. These technical requirements are easy enough to satisfy, though, as they are based on ensuring a foster child will have his or her basic needs met if you do foster them.

First and foremost, you will need a spare room in your house or your flat that can accommodate a foster child or a young person. No foster agency in its right mind would ever allow a child under its charge to live with a new foster family that doesn’t have adequate space in their home for an additional member, so if you do wish to foster you’ll need to ensure you’ve got a dedicated bedroom ready and waiting.

Secondly, becoming a foster carer requires you to be in relatively good health, both physically and financially. This only makes sense, as it’s difficult to care for any child unless you are healthy enough to take on the responsibilities of child care yourself. In order to determine this, you may be required to receive a successful health check from your GP. You’ll also have to show evidence of never having declared bankruptcy. As it’s not uncommon for foster children to have specialised medical needs themselves, making sure you as a foster carer are physically and financially capable is even more important — even though you will be provided with weekly allowances for every child you foster.

Additionally, many foster agencies make it an important point to review a number of references as a technical requirement for becoming a foster parent. The most relevant references will come from former partners that you helped raise children with and adult children of your own that have since moved out, but other relatives, colleagues, or even long-time friends are appropriate references.

Foster agencies provide skills training during this time as well. This consists of an intensive “Skills to Foster Training” seminar delivered over a 2-3 day span, most often scheduled for over a weekend, delivered in-house by a foster agency to applicants in the assessment process.

An additional requirement, one that takes the most time to satisfy, is to endure a period of fostering assessment by a social worker as required by the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). Such a Fostering Assessment is a long-term endeavour, one that can take between four and six months. Once the social worker completes their assessment, it is presented to an independent Fostering Panel for a final review and approval recommendation.

Next, you will need to become certified by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). You’ll need an Enhanced Disclosure from the DBS, as will anyone living in your home over the age of 16. If this seems excessive, remember that a DBS disclosure is required of anyone who works with children in the UK. That includes anyone who works at a creche, a nursery, or a school. Becoming a foster carer is still a job, after all, perhaps the most important one of the bunch.

Finally comes the biggest and most nerve-wracking step: being subjected to review (and hopefully final approval) by a Fostering Panel. These independent panels are made up of at least five individuals, and they play a crucial role in determining whether you’ll become a foster carer or not. You’ll meet with this panel in order to answer any final questions these members may have concerning your application.

It’s the job of a panel to be thorough, but it’s not as if you’re standing trial — panelists know what a tough job it is to be a foster carer, and they want what’s best for not just a foster child but for you as well. Think of it as less of a grueling ordeal but instead one last time to showcase all of your positive attributes, such as compassion and patience, that will enable you to be an outstanding foster carer. If the panel agrees, you’ll be given its final recommendation to proceed. At this point, it’s up to the Agency Decision Maker, who receives the panel’s recommendation, to make the final decision in favour of your foster carer status.

So to review, here are the technical requirements of becoming a foster parent:

• Have a spare room in your home
• Be in good health
• Have appropriate references
• Attend the Skills to Foster Training seminar
• Undergo a BAAF Fostering Assessment
• Receive an Enhanced Disclosure from the DBS
• Review and final approval recommendation from a Fostering Panel

At that point, a final decision will be made on whether you’ll be selected as a foster carer. This is an exceedingly thorough process, especially with the requirement of a BAAF Fostering Assessment, so you can expect it to take as long as six months before you’re informed if you’ve been selected as a foster carer. Once you’ve satisfied these requirements for fostering, though, you have the opportunity to use that time to prepare yourself, both emotionally and mentally, for being a foster carer.

The Preparation Process

The foster care process involves more preparation than just getting your paperwork sorted and cleaning up your spare bedroom in anticipation of a long-term guest. You’ll also need to ensure you’re prepared to take on the awesome responsibility of fostering a child or young person on their journey to adulthood. This process can be self-guided, but many foster agencies provide intensive skill seminars to help you on your way.

This process begins shortly after you ask yourself “can I foster” and involves meeting with a social worker. Conducted either over the phone or in person, this chat allows you to get any questions you may have about the foster care process at the very beginning before moving on to more substantial preparations. Once you’re satisfied with your initial answers (and after you satisfy the technical requirements discussed above), you can then move onto the skills preparation portion.

Since the final selection process does take several months, you’ll have a number of opportunities for skills education. Foster agencies typically offer intensive courses that you can participate in during this waiting period; these courses take place over the course of several days and will offer you the opportunity to attend group sessions, led by experienced social workers. These sessions typically consist of in-depth, directed discussions about a number of different topics related to becoming a foster carer, including:

• The role foster carers play in helping foster children
• What can lead to children coming into care
• The type of support foster children may need
• The role foster carers play in promoting positive identities for foster children
• The wide support network that foster carers can call upon, and work together with, to promote the wellbeing of a foster child
• How to manage transitions, promote good behaviour, set boundaries, and build relationships with a foster child
• Methods for integrating a foster child into an existing network of friends and family members

The goal set for you, as foster carers, is to not just provide support to a child or young person in need of care. It’s also to provide room for a foster child to exhibit positive growth during the entire process, and that often means developing these relevant skills yourself to facilitate that process.

What You Can Expect Upon Selection

With standards set high in order to protect the interests of children and young people in need of being fostered, not everyone who asks themselves “can I foster” and then applies to become a foster carer becomes one. However, if you are selected to become a foster parent there are a number of things, both initially and ongoing, that you can expect to happen.

First and foremost, it’s time to learn that you don’t have to go it alone in your journey to becoming a foster parent. In fact, when you partner with a foster agency to become a foster carer you gain access to an impressive raft of support structures, such as the following:

• Access to a social worker: Upon selection, you’ll be assigned a social worker to guide you through the process of matching you with a child to foster. It doesn’t stop there, though, as you’ll be able to call on this social worker for guidance and support throughout the entirety of your foster carer experience.
• Individual development planning: One of the many resources your social worker can provide for you comes in the form of personal development planning to help you grow as a carer and as a person. As foster carers come from all backgrounds and all walks of life, this planning process can help fill in gaps in your skillset and aid in developing you in directions you never thought possible.
• Access to a mentoring scheme: You never have to go it alone when it comes to navigating the world of foster caring. It’s typical to be assigned a mentor, in the form of an experienced foster carer, to buddy up with in order to provide you with a unique perspective on the types of issues that only other foster carers are likely to have experienced.
• Regular foster carer group meetups: No one is an island. Foster carers need wide networks, and that’s why foster agencies either encourage or outright organise monthly meetups of foster parents and the children in their care. From providing play date opportunities to developing a wider array of relationships outside the mentoring scheme, such periodic forums are ideal for making the foster care process more fulfilling.
• Access to even more advanced support: Sometimes you’re going to need even more help. That’s only natural; you won’t be able to anticipate every event and issue that crops up. In instances where your assigned social worker or your mentoring buddy aren’t sufficient help, you’ll also typically have access to advanced help in the form of at-home support visits.
• Regular respite: It’s a tough job, being a foster carer. Many foster parents don’t have the respite opportunities that others have, for example in the form of relatives such as grandparents, so foster agencies regularly offer respite services, including up to two weeks paid respite a year. This vital self-care provides you with the ability to be there more successfully for any foster children under your care.

How Much Do Foster Carers Get Paid?

It takes more than compassion and dedication to raise a child. It doesn’t matter if it’s a foster child or not — any parent will tell you that there are certain financial requirements as well. The costs associated with the care and feeding of a child or young person are manifold, and they range from clothing and school supplies to simply giving them with the ability to enjoy their lives by providing them with toys and other entertainment options.

That’s why foster agencies ensure that those that take on the heavy responsibility of fostering a child receive compensation in order to support his or her mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. This compensation can and does vary according to a number of different factors, many of which are set in place by the government, with the most notable being a weekly allowance that foster carers are entitled to for doing the crucial work of providing a safe, secure, and nurturing home for a young person or child.

This weekly allowance is a recommendation set out by the government, and changes based on the age of the child in foster care and the location in which the foster carer lives. It’s typical that these payments are disbursed by the fostering departments of local authorities. Generally, though, you can expect weekly allowances of around £127 for babies if you live outside of London or the South East. This weekly allowance increases for older foster children, up to a minimum of £191 a week for young persons aged between 16 and 17.

If you live in the South East or in London, these allowances are higher in order to account for the higher cost of living in these regions. Foster carers living in the South East or in London will receive £140 and £146 a week respectively for babies; again this amount increases until a foster child is between the ages of 16 and 17, where respective minimum weekly allowances are £214 and £222.

Please be aware that these figures can and do change all the time, as the government reviews minimum allowances every April. If you’re looking for more specific information on how much do foster parents get paid, you can visit the government’s foster carers resource page, which provides a complete breakdown for the current financial year.

More than Minimum Allowances

Minimum weekly allowances can and do help provide foster carers with the necessary financial resources to ensure the needs of any children or young people in their care are met. However, as the name implies, these are minimum allowances. A foster agency will typically pay more than this minimum, though; Perpetual Fostering, for example, pays between £300 and £650 per child fostered. How foster agencies determine the total weekly pay you receive as a foster carer are through evaluating a number of specific circumstances, though again these circumstances are largely dependent on things such as:

• the specific physical, mental, or emotional needs of a foster child
• any specific skills you may have that are relevant to your ability to perform as a foster carer
• a particularly large commitment, such as fostering both a mother and baby at the same time, or a child with exceptionally special needs such as round-the-clock medical care

In these cases, the additional amount a foster carer can earn per week will increase. Again there is little specificity as to how much does a foster carer get paid, so if you are selected to foster a child the final amount will be determined on an individual basis.

Other Benefits to Becoming a Foster Parent

In addition to receiving a weekly allowance for serving as a foster carer, there are some other benefits you’ll be awarded as well. One of these is the fact that a portion of your earnings from becoming a foster carer will be tax-free. This takes two forms: an annual fixed tax exemption as well as additional variable tax relief, conditional on how many weeks of the year you provide services for a foster child in your care.

The first form, the annual tax exemption, is fixed at £10,000 per year. It’s important to note that this exemption is shared across the entire household, regardless of the number of carers under the same roof; a single foster carer, for example, would receive the entirety of it, while two carers would have to share the exemption.  Additionally, if you do not serve as a foster carer for the entire year, this exemption may be reduced a commensurate amount.

The second type of tax relief comes in the form of an amount that you can add to your fixed £10,000 exemption. This accrues for every week you serve as a foster carer and is either £200 per child under the age of 11 or £250 per child over the age of 11. This adds up to an additional £10,400 to £13,000 in tax relief depending on age of foster child and whether you serve as a foster carer for the entire 52 weeks of the year.

A final note on tax relief: these fixed and variable exemptions are in addition to your tax-free personal allowance. While you can’t apply your standard £11,850 allowance for the 2018-2019 financial year to your foster carer tax exemption, you can apply that personal allowance to any income you make from a different source. This is extremely helpful for foster carers who also have an additional job or career outside of providing care for foster children.

The Answer to “Can I Foster?” 

At this point, most of the answers to the question of “can I foster” should be well answered. You’ve learnt about the application process, the amount of time it takes to have your application considered, and what types of requirements you need to satisfy in order to be eligible for becoming a foster parent. You’ve also learnt what types of opportunities you’ll have to hone some very important skills during the application process in order to prepare you for the eventuality that you will be selected, answering that question of “can I foster” with a resounding “yes”!

Beyond that, however, you’ve learnt what kind of support systems you’ll have available to you in the event you are chosen to become a foster carer. You’ll have access to a dedicated social worker to answer your questions and to work with you on personal skills development, a mentor buddy and a larger network of fellow carers to rely on for experienced advice, and advanced support in emergencies and other unique situations. You’ll also gain access to respite services as well when you simply need an extra bit of self-care.

Finally, you’ve learnt all about the compensation and other benefits of becoming a foster carer. These include a minimum weekly allowance per child fostered, additional compensation for special circumstances or if you possess special skills, and even tax relief for doing the hard work of providing the kind of dedicated, compassionate help needed to prepare a foster child for adulthood.

You may still have unanswered questions. That’s only natural — becoming a foster carer is a major endeavour, one that you shouldn’t undertake without some serious contemplation. A qualified social worker can aid you in answering these remaining questions, which will help you decide not just “can I foster” but “should I foster”. If you’re dedicated, compassionate, patient, and committed to provide one or more children with the support they need to succeed, then that answer may very well be yes.

 

The post Can I Foster? Top Tips on Becoming a Foster Carer in the UK appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/can-i-foster-top-tips-on-becoming-a-foster-carer-in-the-uk/

Fun Ways to Celebrate Halloween with Kids

Halloween is always a popular holiday with children and teens alike. Though Halloween with kids might make the adults among us groan at the idea of sugar-filled little ones running around, the holiday is also a perfect opportunity to help your foster children get creative and have fun.

Many foster children move around a lot, which means they unfortunately often miss out on the fun celebrations and traditions that surround the holidays that other children get to experience. To help you make this Halloween special for your foster children, we’ve put together a list of fun and creative ideas that you can use to help them celebrate, no matter their age.

 

Pumpkin Carving

First off, we have one of the most popular Halloween traditions. Pumpkin carving is always great fun for kids of all ages, and is a great way to get their creative (pumpkin) juices flowing. It can get pretty messy, so make sure to put down a lot of newspaper or sheets that you can easily wash, and provide bins for the discarded innards.

You could make this a friendly competition by challenging everyone to see who can make the scariest or funniest pumpkin. It’s obviously important to be safe and watch over younger kids carefully to make sure they don’t hurt themselves. Here is a very useful article about pumpkin carving with young children, full of tips, tricks, and ideas.

Halloween Catwalk

Everyone loves dressing up on Halloween! Shop-bought costumes can get expensive, so why not challenge your kids to make their own? Have everybody in the family take part if they’re willing, and once everybody has their home-made costume, host a Halloween fashion show, and vote on the best one. This really helps get the kids thinking about how they can recreate their favourite characters with materials they can find in the house, and doesn’t cost a penny!

 

Make your own horror story

This idea works well with older primary school and high school aged kids. Have everybody gather round and give each person a piece of paper. Explain that you’re all going to work together to write some scary Halloween stories. Everybody agree on how you will all start the stories; for example, it could start ‘One Halloween night…’ or, ‘It was a cold, dark, night…’.

Once you’ve agreed on the first line, make sure everybody writes it down. Then, tell everybody to write the next sentence of the story on their piece of paper, and then pass it to the person on their left. Though the first line is the same for everybody, each story should be different from the second sentence onward, as each person writes down their own ideas.

Once everybody has passed their piece of paper to the next person, they should read what’s on the paper in front of them, and then continue that story for one more sentence. Then, pass it to the left once more. Continue doing this until each story has gone around the circle twice, and has reached its original author. Have everybody read out their own story and see how they ended up. (These stories usually make everybody laugh because they’re so full of twists and turns due to everybody contributing to them ).

 

Bake your own tasty treats

Trick or treat! Obviously one of the most exciting parts of Halloween for kids is all of the awesome treats they want to collect. If you have time, why not create your own treats with the kids? There’re some great ideas all over the internet for some fun and delicious treat recipes that are really easy to make with kids of all ages. You can find some fantastic Halloween cake ideas here, and lots of other recipes for fun Halloween treats here.

Have a Mummy race

This is a fun activity that requires at least four people. Make teams of two, and give each team a roll of toilet paper (you need to make sure you’re OK with using a lot of toilet paper for this game!). Challenge each team to race to turn one of their members into a Mummy as fast as possible. This activity always get a little loud and crazy, and you need a lot of open space if there’s more than two teams playing, so push the furniture to the side, or play in the garden if you can!

The post Fun Ways to Celebrate Halloween with Kids appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/fun-ways-to-celebrate-halloween-with-kids/

Everything you need to know about Fostering before you apply

You can visit any Fostering Agency website and it’ll give you a pretty good idea of everything you need to know about becoming a Foster Carer.

At Perpetual Fostering, our approach is a little different.

We believe that you don’t need to hear it from us, the Agency.  You need to hear it from someone who’s been there and done that.  An actual Foster Carer who’s experienced the amazing highs (and the occasional lows), and who can be best placed to give some real-life advice.

So, this article is entitled ‘Everything you need to know about Fostering before you apply’.

The fact that you’re even reading this at all shows what an absolute superhero of a person you are for even considering fostering as an option for you and your family. What you’re doing is a step above and beyond. This isn’t giving money to a charity or wearing a t-shirt to show your support; this is giving yourself to a great cause, and wearing your heart on your sleeve to show the world that you’re about to play one of the most remarkable roles there is in a child’s life.

Ready to read on?

Let’s begin by forgetting everything you’ve heard in those adverts on the radio. 

Whilst many Foster Agencies will turn to the radio to advertise for Foster Carers, be careful of what those adverts are saying to you.  More often than not, they’ll state claims along the lines of the fact that “All you need is a spare room and a place in your heart”.  As a cynic and as a former English teacher, this line makes me cringe uncontrollably anyway, but it also irritates me because it’s incredibly misleading for anyone expressing an interest becoming a Foster Carer.

Obviously, you need a spare room if you want to foster, and that should really go without saying.  But what about the other things you will need?  I’m not talking about a ‘kind heart’ and a ‘listening ear’ and all that spiel dreamt up in a marketing department somewhere.  I’m talking about the other things that you may not even think about at all before actually finding yourself in the role of a Foster Carer.

My own experience has always swayed more towards talking about life with teenagers, but this is my list of ‘all you need’ as a Foster Carer in general – after you’ve cleared out the spare room, of course.

So, in no particular order, you need…

1. Spare room in all your other rooms.

Going from ‘couple with kitten’ to ‘family with foster child’ overnight means that stuff piles up quickly.  Everyone’s stuff is everywhere, yet somehow, no-one can find anything.  Make room.

2. The ability to communicate effectively.

Although your role as a Foster Carer is to serve as an advocate and a voice for the child in your care, sometimes you’ll need to think carefully about what to say and who to say it to.  This will usually be at times when somebody else in your child’s life does something you personally don’t agree with, and this could happen a lot, because we all have our own subjective best intentions.  Talk to your social worker about what you feel and what you think, then trust in them to be the best voice they can be for you.

3. A car (and the ability to drive it).

You’d be surprised how many situations have been sorted and how many pieces of much-needed advice have been administered whilst driving around in the car with pretty much any member of my family who’s needed it.  Think about it.  In a car, nobody has to make eye contact, nobody can walk out, and if it gets really awkward, you can always just throw on the radio.  Pick a station you both like to save any arguments about your almost certain “rubbish taste in music”

4. The ability to resist striking the next person who utters something along the lines of, “Yeah, but they’re not really your kids, are they…”

People’s complete lack of tact will either make you laugh or cry.  Try to laugh.

5. A talent for interpretive arts.

Without doubt, you will need to hone your miming skills in order to carry out and understand a full-on argument with your partner about whatever it is that’s caused an issue, without once uttering a full audible sentence for a child in your presence to hear.  Your young person will come to learn that you’re a human being (yes really), but in the first instance, be sensitive of the type of environment your child or young person may have just come from, and accept that shouting and arguments – as natural as they can be – can be difficult for a child to process and deal with.

6. The humility to ask for your child’s help.

Children and young people, regardless of background or experience, are innately more tech savvy than you.  The best way to make them feel at home in your family is to give them a role, and you should accept that this role will likely be to fix anything that needs a charger or wifi, when said object has caused near divorce or mental breakdown elsewhere in the family.

7. An unwavering resolve to fight (figuratively speaking).

There are many establishments, institutions and organisations who claim to support and advocate for children and young people.  It doesn’t always feel like that though, and not everyone’s agenda is child centred.  People may claim they are putting your child or young person first, but you may well struggle to believe that’s the case during your time as a Foster Carer.  Get ready to build the best case for giving your child the best life possible.

And finally, what you certainly need above all…

8. A grasp on reality.

Congratulations! By doing this wonderful thing in becoming a Foster Carer, you’ve just become a full-on parent to somebody else’s child.  Therefore, it’s completely okay not to have a clue what you’re doing! It’s almost expected, in fact, so give yourself a break.

Now that’s broken the ice, let’s look at some other practicalities of becoming a Foster Carer.

Let’s start by assessing your ‘full time’ options.

My plan all the way through the fostering application process had always been to keep my career whilst carrying out my role as a Foster Carer.  I was certainly always going to follow that plan with my own children so fostering a child seemed no different.  In continuing to work, I would feel fulfilled, would contribute financially to our family, and would set a good example of a strong work ethic to my children.  That was the idea, anyway…

A good Agency, such as the amazing team at Perpetual Fostering, will be supportive of your decisions, but they’ll also be honest and open with you, and you may have to accept the fact that working full time whilst fostering – certainly in the early days – can be difficult.  This isn’t to say it’s not doable, but it’s important to think about how flexible your working (and your boss) can be with/for you.  So, for example, if your boss gets funny with you any time you ask if you can switch a shift or finish early to head to a doctor’s appointment, even though you stayed late last night and came in early this morning, you may have problems going forward.

Though countless people work full time and raise their own birth children at the same time, fostering is different, because you don’t know all there is to know and predict about this young person coming into your life, and you’re not just playing the role of mum or dad to that child either, because you’ll have more jobs and career roles than you’d ever imagine possible when a child is in your care.

You’ll be a social worker.

Yes, you’ll have a social worker assigned to you by your Agency, and it’s likely that this will be the same person who guided and supported you through your application process, so you’ll know them well and will most definitely have a great relationship with them.  You will still need to take on a similar role yourself though, because that official person cannot be there all the time, and so it will be up to you to discover all you can about your child, seek and offer tailored support for them, and generally advocate their wellbeing in the most objective and fair way you can on a daily basis.

You’ll be a teacher.

As a qualified teacher myself, I’m a big believer in the fact that a good teacher extends their care, support and influence far beyond the classroom, and therefore to teach does not mean to simply get a child through their grades.  As a Foster Carer, you will be the prime provider of all sorts of education and learning, including social, emotional and personal aspects.  Whether you’re actively aware or not, your children will learn from you.  Oh, and if your child cannot attend school for whatever reason, then to some extent you will have to become a teacher as well.  Your Agency will of course take the lead on this, so don’t go thinking that you’ll be expected to swot up on science or go mad for maths, but you will need to take an active interest in what and how your child can formally learn.  Embrace it – it’s a great way to bond.

You’ll be a lawyer.

Nothing possesses a person quite so much as when somebody crosses their family.  In fostering, those children in your new family will at some time in their life in placement be judged, overlooked, ignored, spoken for, treated as a number, and/or used as a commodity by the countless people who are either directly or indirectly involved in their journey through life as a ‘Looked After Child’ (not Perpetual’s choice of phrase, as, like me, they don’t enjoy labelling children at all).  Prepare to put some research in as you advocate for your child, and prepare to fight.  This is all worst-case scenario of course, but it’s good advice nonetheless, because nobody is in a better position be a voice for that young person than you.  Put the background research in, because it’s worth the hard work.

In carrying out each of these roles and more, you won’t be paid a top salary, you’ll unlikely ever get an award to recognise your hard work, and you’ll absolutely never get a day off, but what you will get is reward from knowing that you are making a difference, full time, to a human being’s life.

So, you’re ready to apply?  Here are a few more things to have a quick think about.

Not everyone will be supportive of your choice and actions

Whilst I view fostering as kind, brave and ultimately selfless, not everyone shares this positivity.  There will always be someone on your radar who does not fully support your choice.  In my case, it was my own mum (in the beginning), but whilst this was upsetting, it wasn’t half as annoying as the people I barely knew who were more than happy to seek me out in Tesco and demand, “Why don’t you just have your own kids?”

You’ll hear a lot of misconceptions and some really ill-chosen words to support people’s views

Many people confuse fostering with adoption, so this is a misconception I’ve had to explain frequently.  You’ll also be helpfully informed on a regular basis that, “All foster kids are troubled” (usually as you watch your critic’s own precious angel scream blue murder over a lost biscuit), and it will irk you that you have to deal with poorly worded questions such as, “When do you get to give them back?”  Of course, it’s encouraging when questions come from those who genuinely take interest, but sadly, there are a lot of people who just want gossip.

Your family planning will be questioned

When you’ve had enough of everyone else questioning your fertility and your plans to have your ‘own’ children, unfortunately in the case of your social worker and your Agency’s assessment panel, whether or not you are planning to have your ‘own’ family is a legitimate topic of conversation.  Don’t even get me started on how much I take offence to the phrase “childlessness” (spoken by a so-called friend), but overall, I understand the conversation.  This can be uncomfortable to go through, but then again, so is childbirth!  Seriously though, consider how things could change for a child in your care if 9 months later you gave birth, and your whole world suddenly changed?

You’ll get upset/annoyed at least once during the application process

Getting upset/annoyed is pretty much a regular occurrence for me anyway, but this was heightened during the fostering assessment process.  You’ll become frustrated with people’s attitudes (see previous point), you’ll disagree with your loved ones’ viewpoints (see next point), and you’ll have to answer questions/talk about issues that ordinarily you’d save to offload on your best mate after a glass of wine and a bucketful of tears.  There are even some things you’d rather not talk about at all, but this doesn’t help your case, so prepare to toughen up and open up.  It’s absolutely vital for matching you to your role and to your future family.

Disagreements will happen

My husband and I are incredibly different in our parenting styles.  He deals with conflict calmly, whereas I am a little more intense, shall we say!  On several occasions during our assessment process, we found ourselves disagreeing over responses to our social worker’s questions.  These interviews are not the best time to rip apart the issues and delve into your differences, but that’s what you’ll feel like doing, and certainly the team at Perpetual Fostering would never leave you to deal with that should something arise.  I stand by disagreements being a perfectly natural thing to experience though, as I just do not believe couples who say they never argue – especially when talking about family!

Your home will need to be adapted in some way

I would like to think that I have a warm, welcoming and safe home, but I still tortured myself for a week after I’d realised I’d left the top off a bottle of antiseptic in the bathroom when our social worker had visited.  She probably didn’t even see it, but part of her job was indeed to (sensitively) highlight issues that may need addressing prior to us welcoming a child into our home.  Amid the changes that are helpfully suggested to you (a sturdy lock on the bathroom door, a key rack by the front door, CO3 monitors on each floor), you’ll unreasonably start believing that everything in your home needs changing and is a death trap.  (It’s really not).

You’ll be faced with some truths

A really great Agency, like Perpetual Fostering, will support and encourage you as one of their valued Foster Carers, but they’ll also give the honest answers and key information regarding things you may not really want to think about – placement breakdown, allegations, paperwork, and the stress of dealing with agencies who you may find more hindrance than help.  You may not want to hear this kind of stuff, but for the sake of being prepared and resilient as a Foster Carer, you really need to face it.

You’ll find out exactly what people think of you

Once you’ve been approved by the assessment panel, your social worker may give you access to the references they collected on your behalf.  My husband and I enjoyed reading over these as we celebrated our acceptance, as it was lovely to read about the faith that all those who knew us best had in us.  It’s a little cringe-worthy too, though, when you collate the fact that nearly all of them have spectacularly hit upon your ‘quirks’.  So, if you’re known to speak your mind, your nearest and dearest will mention it!

The process is worth taking time

Our assessment process took a good few months.  Where others may view this as lengthy, I was glad of the timeframe.  It gave me confidence that our Agency was being thorough in their assessment and were investing proper time and resource to prepare us for this life-changing event.  There are so many Agencies looking for Foster Carers, and those worth their salt know that for the benefit and stability of the children in their care, fast-tracking is never an option.

You’ll be surprised how many people out there are fostering!

For every one person who doesn’t give you the encouragement for your choice that you’d like or expect, there will be countless people who are delighted for you, bestow praise and offer support.  Some of these people will even tell you that they know someone else who is also fostering!  Not only is this lovely to hear, but it will remind you that your access to a support network is getting bigger by the day.  Personally, I know I’ll benefit greatly from this future support, as well as from the support at Perpetual Fostering, of course.

Some summary advice if you’re still reading?

Embrace the challenges of the application process, because resilience is a fantastic quality in any Foster Carer, and one of the most important traits you can pass on to any child in your care.  That very first child who comes into your home…  you will play a role in their life for sure, but whether you know it or not, you’ll also be playing a role in the lives of their children, should they go on to have any.  What you’re choosing to sign up to won’t just change a life; it’ll help change the future.

Ready to apply?  Click here to begin

The post Everything you need to know about Fostering before you apply appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/everything-you-need-to-know-about-fostering-before-you-apply/

Perpetual Fostering Coffee Morning

Perpetual Fostering would like to invite you, your friends and family members to a coffee morning at Perpetual Fostering.

We shall be providing guests with a variety of beverages along with biscuits and cakes in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. We ask for a small donation in return.

 If you have any friends or family members interested in fostering children and young people, the coffee morning would provide an excellent opportunity to speak with staff.  

If you or anyone you know would like to join the event, please confirm your attendance by emailing us at enquiries@perpetualfostering.co.uk.  If they would prefer, friends and family can contact us via phone on 01204 364 666 to discuss fostering with a member of our team.

Event Details

Date: 28^th September 2018
Time: 10:00am to 12 noon
Venue: Perpetual Fostering, 31 Chorley New Road, Bolton  BL1 4QR

The post Perpetual Fostering Coffee Morning appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/perpetual-fostering-coffee-morning/

Fun Summer Activity Ideas for Kids

The summer holidays are in full swing, and with them comes weeks of extra time to fill whilst trying to keep the children entertained. We all know kids have short attention spans and are very easily bored, so it’s important to have an array of fun and interesting activities up your sleeve to keep them occupied, and ensure they’re not just sat in front of the TV or computer console all day.

The beginning of summer was hot,  but as we approach September we can’t rely on the sun to shine every day. Here are our ideas for fun summer activities for kids no matter what the weather.

Get crafty with paper

Getting crafty with kids doesn’t have to be expensive or messy. There’s loads you can do with stuff that you can find lying around at home. Paper is your best friend when it comes to easy art and craft activities, and there’s no limit to what you can make. Check out this post for 30+ easy paper crafts for kids.

Pull out the paints

If you’re not afraid of getting your hands dirty, why not let the kids get creative with the paint? Clear a big space and cover the valuables, and let them go at it with some watercolours or acrylics. This post has a number of fantastic ideas for how to get creative with paint and make some wonderful keepsakes.

Camp in the back garden

Take the kids camping…in the back garden! This is great for younger kids because it has the element of adventure but also the home comforts that makes taking little ones away a little difficult; you have easy access to the bathroom and even their own bed if they wake up and decide they don’t much like sleeping outside.

Here’s a great post on different back garden camping activities, including lots of recipes to make and fun games to play, to make it a night to remember for all the family.  

Think outside the box at MoSi

You may not think that the Museum of Science and Industry sounds very arty, but the museum is always a hit with families and has a great variety of activities for kids and opportunities to get creative. Entry is free and there are some great exhibitions being held there, and the theme of the summer focuses on celebrating the Year of Engineering. The family weekend is being held on 25-26th August. The museum even has an app for families to use whilst exploring, and has a number of activities aimed at kids of all ages. You can find out more about their family activities and events on their family page.

Hold a Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great way to keep the kids entertained for hours, with the added bonus of tiring them out and making sure they sleep well that night! Here’s a great post on different types of scavenger hunts you can get the kids involved in. Just make sure you hold it in an area they know well so there’s no potential to get lost, and also that you’re not taking or leaving behind anything harmful to the environment.

Visit an Art Gallery

Art galleries are a great day out and are a great learning experience while also being fun. Most galleries are free to enter and often have special activities for children and families. The Whitworth Gallery in Manchester holds a weekly event called ‘Artist Sundays’, which include a number of quirky and interesting activities for families put together by artists.  Manchester Art Gallery also has great family events, including a number of summer art-making sessions. For more art galleries and exhibitions around Manchester, read this great post.

A yummy twist on the classic picnic

One of the more obvious summer activities is the classic picnic in a local park or at the beach. However, why not put a fun twist on the day by giving the kids the chance to make all of the picnic food. Check out these fab kids’ picnic recipes from BBC Goodfood for inspiration.  The kids will love getting creative in the kitchen, and will enjoy eating their delicious homemade treats even more!

The post Fun Summer Activity Ideas for Kids appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/summer-activities-for-kids/

How to Celebrate the Spring Equinox with your Foster Child

Tuesday 20th March is the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Though traditionally a Wiccan holiday,  the day simply marks the beginning of Spring (or Autumn, in the Southern Hemisphere), and is celebrated widely throughout the world. The Equinox itself is the moment when the sun seems to ‘stand still’ directly above the equator, and this will happen at 4:15 PM in the UK. Day and night will be almost equal lengths on Tuesday, and from then the days will get longer and the nights shorter as we move towards summer.

Everybody loves longer days, especially kids; more daylight means more time to play! So why not make a special day of it, and celebrate the Spring Equinox with your foster child? There are lots of different ways you can get involved and celebrate the beginning of Spring together. Here are our top ideas.

Get outside

The most obvious idea is to get outside and enjoy the sunlight. If you can, collect the kids from school and spend some time in the great outdoors. You could go to the park or even go for a nice walk in the forest or on a hiking trail.

Or, why not treat them to a picnic dinner? Have a special treat to eat or drink to mark the time when the Equinox happens, and toast to the beginning of the new season.

Plant some seeds

Spring is the perfect time for new life to bloom, so why not encourage your kids to connect with nature by planting some seeds, and taking care of them as they bloom into flowers? If you have a back garden, corner off a small section that they can call their own, and if not, get a plant pot they can use indoors, and let them choose what kind of flower or plant they want to grow there. The digging and planting will be fun, and they should enjoy the process of watering them and watching them grow.

Get crafty

If it’s raining outside (let’s be honest, it’s Spring in the UK), why not spend some time doing arts and crafts indoors? Challenge the kids to think of ways to decorate the house for Spring, and help them with the tricky bits.

Craft ideas could include drawing or creating spring chicks; sun-catchers; or even Shamrocks to tie-in with St. Patrick’s Day. Or you could get a head start on your Easter decorations, and have fun painting some hard-boiled eggs.

For a number of different Spring craft ideas, click here.

Have a Spring Feast

You could celebrate the day by having an extra special dinner and turning it into a Spring Feast. Let the kids choose what dishes to include (with maybe a little gentle direction towards healthier options), and have them help out in the kitchen. You could even make a special treat for desserts, such as a sponge cake or chocolate cornflake/rice crispy cakes. They’re super simple and kids have so much fun making them… especially when they get to lick the chocolate off the spoon afterwards!

The post How to Celebrate the Spring Equinox with your Foster Child appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

source https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/how-to-celebrate-the-spring-equinox-with-your-foster-child/