Celebrating Foster Care Fortnight 2022
Friday 20 May 2022
Over the last two weeks, we've been supporting The Fostering Network's Foster Care Fortnight (Monday 9 to Sunday 22 May 2022).
Foster Care Fortnight recognises, champions and celebrates the incredible commitment that foster carers make to their communities and the difference that they make to the lives of the children and young people that they care for.
As part of Foster Care Fortnight, we held our annual Fostering Long Service Awards, celebrating the dedication of our longest serving foster carers who are marking 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 year milestones in 2022.
Celebrating 25 years as foster carers this year are Jen and Terry, a couple from Sunderland who decided to become foster carers after their children reached independence and left home. Jen worked with teenagers for many years and had a range of transferable skills to bring to a foster care role.
Jen and Terry were approved as foster carers in March 1997, when they were both working full-time. They began fostering by providing holiday and respite care for young people living with foster carers. Later, Jen decided to become a full-time foster carer and since March 2008, the couple has cared for 14 children, providing a permanent home for four children over the years, as well as continuing to offer holiday and respite care.
Jen and Terry have always shown their upmost dedication and commitment to every child they've cared for, and their families. After 25 years, the pair are as committed as ever to fostering and agree that their home is too quiet without children in it, so have no plans to retire as foster carers yet - something our Fostering team are delighted about!
Our biggest Long Service Award went to Carol, who's been a foster carer in Sunderland for an incredible 35 years. Carol was approved as a foster carer in May 1987, alongside her husband, Peter. Carol's introduction to fostering came from personal experience, as her sister was also a foster carer, and so she knew what a special role foster carers could play in children's lives and how rewarding that could be.
During her 35 years of service, Carol has cared for over 40 children, from newborn babies to teenagers preparing for independence as they near adulthood, with some of the children Carol cared for lived with her for over 10 years. Carol has always tried to offer support to those most in need of her care, which has led to her welcoming several teenagers into her home to live with her, as she always felt this age group was most in need of support and stability.
Carol continues to foster children on a permanent basis and has no plans to stop, which is music to the ears of our fostering team who are incredibly grateful for her continued dedication! Carol is often asked by the team why she continues to foster after more than three decades, and her answer is always the same - it's who I am and I couldn't see myself doing anything else.
More than 60 foster carers received awards at this year's event, and we couldn't be more thankful for each and every one of them. We're incredibly grateful for the continued support of all of our amazing foster carers, who are part of our fostering community here in Sunderland.
Community is a huge part of fostering, for foster carers, children and young people, and their families. One of the ways we champion community within fostering at Together for Children is through Mockingbird programme, which uses an extended family model known as Constellations.
Each Constellation consists of a Hub Home Carer (a foster home with experienced foster carers) that sits at the middle of the constellation, with six to ten 'satellite' homes (foster families) nearby.
Hub Home Carers are specially recruited and trained to offer respite care, peer support, regular joint planning and social activities. Relationships are central to Mockingbird and the Hub Home builds strong relationships with everyone in the constellation, empowering families to support each other and overcome any problems before they escalate.
Because of its structure, Mockingbird helps alleviate the sense of isolation foster carers can sometimes feel and offers immediate practical support, much like that a non-fostering family might receive from friends and relatives.
Whilst providing foster carers with support and respite, Mockingbird also offers cared for children and young people with the opportunity to expand their social circle and enjoy experiences like sleepovers and days out. The constellation also builds links with other families who are important to the child's care plans and to resources in the wider community, which can provide them with enhanced opportunities to learn, develop and succeed.
This week marks one year since the launch of our first Mockingbird Constellation and since then, we've seen the programme go from strength to strength. Following the success of the first Consellation, we launched a second in February 2022. To find out more about Mockingbird, visit The Fostering Network's website.
If you'd like to know more about becoming a Foster Carer, why not attend one of our monthly informal Fostering Information Events? You can find out more about what fostering involves, ask any questions you might have, and hear from our foster carers about their experiences. Check out our upcoming dates.
If you're ready to take the next step, you can complete our Fostering Expression of Interest Form. If you'd like to chat to our team, you can reach us on 0191 561 2223 or fostering@togetherforchildren.org.uk.
