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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).

Essential Information

The Virtual School value the time they spend with carers, and to enable this to be an even more successful partnership between school and home, have arranged four sessions to take place over the school year.

This fourth session is a being held as a twilight 'Drop in'.  There is no specific focus for this session, rather it is a means for you to have access to the Virtual School and to raise any questions/concerns that you may have.  Equally if there are any Virtual School updates or developments, these will be shared with you at this session.

Essential Information

The Armadillo is adjacent to the leisure centre and ample free parking is provided

Essential Information

SGO Coffee morning – 10-12 at Esther’s Café - Sir Bernard Lovell School, Oldland Common, Bristol BS30 8TR

Essential Information

The Fostering Team are offering a drop-in session where carers can work with an experienced supervising social worker and other carers as they complete their Training Standards Booklet (TSD). The drop-in session aim is to offer support, guidance, and best examples to foster carers allowing them to work through their TSD book.

This session will be light in nature with no pressure on carers to complete a certain number of modules, refreshments will be provided. Other supporting sessiosn will be organised depending on the success of this one.

Supporting this session will be Sarah Hewitt, Emily Hanks and Chris Hill.  It will take place in room F-17 of Kingswood Civic Centre

Essential Information

This course wil be delivered by speech and language experts in their field, they will offer knowldege on primary and secondary age groups, the tutors are also open to Q&A from carers.  Main area of cover will be teenagers.

Course will cover
Primary age:
An overview of typical speech, language and communication development in the primary years and how to support children with speech, language and communication needs.

Secondary age:
An overview of typical speech, language and communication development in the secondary years and how to support children with speech, language and communication needs.

Essential Information

In this course we will explore young children’s early learning and development through the three prime areas of;

•  personal, social and emotional development
•  communication and language
•  physical development.

We will provide practical ways that you can support the child’s learning and development through quality interactions and play opportunities. There will be information about what to do if you have concerns around a delay in areas of learning and development including early identification.

There will be an opportunity for questions and answers during and at the end of the session.

Essential Information

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.

Essential Information

This course aims to enable participants to develop their understanding of abuse allegations and complaints made against foster carers, and of the procedures used to manage such allegations and complaints.

This is being ran by the Fostering Network

Please Note: By booking onto this course, you are consenting to your contact details being passed onto the trainer. This is so they can send the MS TEAMS/Zoom invitation to you.

Essential Information

This is a 3 hr workshop to explore direct work skills that can be used when working with young people.

The focus of these sessions will be to give awareness of Therapeutic life story work as well as general life story work which can help children understand their life story and promote their identity and attachments.

The workshop will be facilitated by Rhian Phillips and Grace Beckett who will use principles from Richard Rose’s Therapeutic Life Story Work Diploma.

Essential Information