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The Purpose for the support groups


We realise that fostering can be really difficult at times. Perhaps the only people who really understand it are other foster carers and so therefore we want to give you a place to meet up.

There will be biscuits and/or cake, coffee, tea, and an opportunity for an informal chat at all of the meetings.

Although these will be informal meetings, each session will have a brief agenda, attendance list, and agreed group rules. This is to help those who don’t know anyone and feel awkward about coming along to a new meeting, to feel that they won’t be left alone on the side-lines.

Sometimes there will be speakers and topics as requested by the group, this will hopefully make it as relevant to your fostering as you like.

These sessions should be recorded on your Personal Development Plan (PDP).

The WAYPOINT (Working Alongside Young People & Others In Networks Therapeutically) Team is part of the Fostering Service. WAYPOINT provide therapeutically informed support to children, families, foster carers, and professional networks. This support is additional to the support provided by your supervising social worker and children’s social workers.

The monthly WAYPOINT Drop-in sessions are facilitated by Dan Charnock, WAYPOINT Senior Social Worker and are open to all mainstream foster carers. The aim of the WAYPOINT Drop in is to provide a reflective and open space for foster carers to come along and discuss issues or concerns you may be facing. While each session includes a space to reflect on challenges, there is also a significant focus on sharing strategies and thinking about therapeutic approaches to difficult situations and celebrating successes.

You don’t have to be going through a difficult time to attend – peer support, learning and reflection is always valuable, and there is no pressure for anyone to share within the sessions. Topics for each session tend to arise on the day, ensuring the focus is relevant to the content brought to the drop in. However, there is also the option to agree a topic for a future session to enable a more in-depth focus. Discussion often includes topics such as attachment, trauma, and use of therapeutic approaches such as PACE and NVR, and ideas come not only from Dan but from within the group.

Would you like to increase your awareness of substance misuse? Do you know how you would respond to questions about alcohol and other drugs?

Join us for an interactive training session on drug and alcohol awareness tailored specifically for foster carers. This workshop will equip you with vital knowledge and practical strategies to support the children in your care, helping you navigate the challenges related to substance use and misuse . Enhance your skills, connect with fellow foster carers, and gain insights in order to foster a safe and nurturing environment for your children.

Kingswood Civic Centre Room F-17

A course designed by the Educational Psychology service in South Gloucestershire to help foster carers develop positive connections with children and support them to regulate difficult feelings, understand their emotions, and find moments of calm. The course will briefly touch on attachment theory but the focus will be on exploring a range of practical strategies to support children in foster care. This will include relationship building strategies as well as how to manage big emotions, rage, and conflict.

Supporting adult relationships.
Arguments in relationships are part of everyday life, evidence suggests that arguments between parents/carers is normal, but if exposure is frequent, intense, and poorly resolved, this can have a damaging impact on children, resulting in long-term mental health issues, emotional, behavioural, and academic problems as they grow up.

This training has been arranged for foster carers or those working with our children looked after.

Drew Jefferies, who is the Cyber Protect Officer in Avon and Somerset Police, is going to virtually deliver a presentation that will give an outline about apps, the risks, highlighting online offences and how they’re committed and as well as providing advice and signposts to further support.

In addition Marcus Hurley from IAP ( our computer support provider for foster carers) will also be attending, which may be useful for those of you who are new to fostering as well as for those social workers that have children and young people in foster care, to find out more about how they can support you.

Proposed Content:
• Overview of online risks.
• Exploitation of children online.
• Technical protective and safety measures available.
• Top tips on starting a conversation with your child about the internet and how to work together to use the internet safely.

Please note that the PowerPoint used in the presentation will not be sent out - this is because information changes all the time.  As a result it would perhaps be worth having a paper and pen to hand.  Drew will however be providing resources, with links to various websites, which will enable you to keep up to date with this everchanging area.

Finally, as with all training, I would strongly recommend that you access this session through a computer.  In addition, you will need a phone or tablet to take part in some interactive activities that Drew is hoping to run during the session.

Cadbury Heath Children’s Centre

The WAYPOINT (Working Alongside Young People & Others In Networks Therapeutically) Team is part of the Fostering Service. WAYPOINT provide therapeutically informed support to children, families, foster carers, and professional networks. This support is additional to the support provided by your supervising social worker and children’s social workers.

The monthly WAYPOINT Drop-in sessions are facilitated by Dan Charnock, WAYPOINT Senior Social Worker and are open to all mainstream foster carers. The aim of the WAYPOINT Drop in is to provide a reflective and open space for foster carers to come along and discuss issues or concerns you may be facing. While each session includes a space to reflect on challenges, there is also a significant focus on sharing strategies and thinking about therapeutic approaches to difficult situations and celebrating successes.

You don’t have to be going through a difficult time to attend – peer support, learning and reflection is always valuable, and there is no pressure for anyone to share within the sessions. Topics for each session tend to arise on the day, ensuring the focus is relevant to the content brought to the drop in. However, there is also the option to agree a topic for a future session to enable a more in-depth focus. Discussion often includes topics such as attachment, trauma, and use of therapeutic approaches such as PACE and NVR, and ideas come not only from Dan but from within the group.

The Purpose for the support groups


We realise that fostering can be really difficult at times. Perhaps the only people who really understand it are other foster carers and so therefore we want to give you a place to meet up.

There will be biscuits and/or cake, coffee, tea, and an opportunity for an informal chat at all of the meetings.

Although these will be informal meetings, each session will have a brief agenda, attendance list, and agreed group rules. This is to help those who don’t know anyone and feel awkward about coming along to a new meeting, to feel that they won’t be left alone on the side-lines.

Sometimes there will be speakers and topics as requested by the group, this will hopefully make it as relevant to your fostering as you like.

These sessions should be recorded on your Personal Development Plan (PDP).

• What is mental health?
• What are the specific challenges for children and young people?
• What are the inequalities relating to mental health for children and young people?
• Mental Health v's Mental ill Health
• Models of Mental Health
• What impacts Mental Health?