Freedom Fostering

Foster Care Fortnight is the UK’s biggest awareness raising campaign for fostering. will run from Monday 11 May – Sunday 24 May and the theme this year is ‘This is Fostering’, celebrating and raising awareness of the different stories across the fostering community.

The theme this year brings together three key threads

It shines a light on the everyday experiences of fostering, raising awareness of the positive impact foster carers have.
It acknowledges the pressures foster carers are facing in today’s climate – from low allowances and fees and inconsistent support, to feeling excluded from decision making about the children in their care.
It is a call to action. It gives us a collective platform to stand together as foster carers, kinship carers and the wider fostering community to call on the government for meaningful change.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

Celebrate the miracle of Easter and the beauty of spring! 🐰 🥚 🐥 🐑 🪺

Key fostering topics focus on providing a secure, therapeutic environment for children who have often experienced trauma, neglect, or abuse.

One of these key areas include supporting the child’s connection to their birth family, especially at key times of year where celebratory events are taking place…

- Facilitating "family time" or contact visits with biological family members, which is a critical part of most placements.

- Reunification: Supporting the child and family when the goal is for the child to return home, which can involve complex emotions.

- Life Story Work: Helping children understand their past and identity.

Should you wish for more information around the topic of supporting with contact with family, please see below support link:

https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/about-fostering/being-a-foster-carer/caring-for-a-child/family-time-contact/

Alternatively, speak with your supervising social worker or contact us for more information on 01902429290.

Family Time & Contact in Foster Care | Guidance for Foster Carers | The Fostering Network Learn about family time and contact in foster care. Understand how foster carers can support and manage contact with birth families, ensuring the best interests of the child are met with The Fostering Network’s expert guidance.

Easter is coming…. & you can make the occasion special & memorable through thoughtful, inclusive activities that prioritize comfort and bonding, such as, for instance, organizing egg hunts, baking treats, and crafting decorations. 🐰 🪺

Key approaches include involving children in activity planning, acknowledging their comfort levels regarding traditions, and providing small, personalized gifts or baskets.

Engaging Easter Activities:

1. Egg Hunts: Hide eggs filled with treats or small toys around the house or garden.

2. Creative Baking: Make "chocolate nests" with shredded wheat and melted chocolate, or decorate biscuits and cakes.

3. Arts & Crafts: Paint eggs, decorate bonnets, or create homemade Easter baskets.

4. Competitions: Organize an egg and spoon race or hold a competition for the best-decorated egg.

5. Community Events: Visit local farms to see lambs or attend organized, fun-filled family events at attractions.

HOPPY EASTER EVERYBUNNY !!! 🥰

Freedom Fostering have managed to secure a donation of Easter eggs & other unique Easter gifts from some local companies…

Advanced Contracts, a construction company and Willenhall Road MOT and service centre.

These will be distributed to our children and young people over the Easter period to enable them to experience the joy and celebrations of Easter.

Thank you for your kind and generous donations!

https://www.advancedcontractsmidlands.co.uk/

Willenhall Road MOT and Seevice centre:
https://www.facebook.com/share/18jxdjxNeo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

St. Patrick’s Day, is celebrated every year on March 17th. ☘️

It is a fun holiday that began as a way to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. While it started as a religious day, it has grown into a worldwide celebration of Irish culture, featuring green clothes, shamrocks, parades, and magical stories…

Hope you all have a lucky day ☀️ 🌈

“Feeling the love” this time of year is far more than a warm, fuzzy sentiment in the Lion King theme song! For sure, expressing love is likely a core reason you do foster care—and showing your foster children they are loved is important every day. But Valentine’s Day is an ideal time to open the floodgates and create special memories that these kids will cherish for a lifetime..

Happy Valentines Day… ❤️

What is Time to Talk Day?

Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. It’s a day for all of us to come together to talk, listen and change lives.

Why is talking important?

Talking openly and honestly can be the first step towards better mental health for everyone. It can reduce stigma and help people feel comfortable enough to seek help when they need it.

“The power of being able to talk about your own experiences and turn them into something positive is huge”.

The need for foster families is real.

🏡 One fostering family can change everything.

💬 If you’ve ever wondered whether you could foster, please get in touch.........






https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/about-fostering/what-is-fostering/fostering-statistics/

💛 Have you ever considered fostering?

There are so many myths around fostering that stop people from taking the first step. The truth might surprise you… 👀

Let’s bust a few myths together.

👉 Get in touch with our friendly team today.

Did you know… ⁉️

Breathing control is crucial because…

1. It regulates the body's stress response, enhancing relaxation and mental clarity by activating the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest)

2. It Improves Physiological Function: It lowers heart rate, decreases blood pressure, and increases heart rate variability (HRV), making the body more adaptable to demands.

3. It's vital for managing anxiety

4. Boosts Physical Performance & Recovery: Efficient breathing optimizes oxygen use, improves endurance, and helps with recovery from exertion by increasing heart rate variability

5. Balances Body Chemistry: Prevents over-breathing, which can disrupt blood's acid-alkali balance and cause symptoms like dizziness or tingling. Aiding physical recovery optimizing oxygen delivery, preventing issues like dizziness or fatigue from shallow, rapid breathing.

6. Reduces Stress & Anxiety: Slow, deep breaths signal the nervous system to calm down, countering the "fight-or-flight" response and reducing stress hormones.

7. Enhances Mental Focus: By calming the body, it helps reduce feelings of confusion, anger, and improves alertness and vigor.

8. Manages Breathlessness: Techniques like diaphragmatic breathing (tummy breathing) make breathing more efficient, providing relief from shortness of breath.

Tips for using breath control in calming the body, self regulation: https://www.theottoolbox.com/breath-control/

With recent news of storm Goretti… some schools are looking to close tomorrow.. please check your local authorities website to see if your school has been closed to prevent unnecessary travel tomorrow! Stay safe everybody!!

Schools across the Black Country and Staffordshire have announced they will be closed on Friday in preparation of Storm Goretti.