Now Foster

Just two days to go until our next Weekenders Information Evening. We are looking for Londoners to join the growing cohort of people who want to support and inspire children in care. 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝟱.𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺. https://lnkd.in/dGccV_ks  𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁? Weekenders is an innovative new programme designed to reimagine fostering and to find and empower brilliant role models to care for children and young people. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? The current system is failing children These young people are our collective responsibility. Compared to other children, they live significantly less healthy and shorter lives and they have lower educational attainment & lifetime earnings. It shouldn’t be this way and you can join a movement to transform young lives and allow all children in care to reach their full potential. 𝗛𝗼𝘄? As a Weekender you get matched with a child or a young person in foster care to provide guidance, inspiration and stability on a regular basis. You will support that same child much as aunt or uncle might. We will teach you all the skills you need to build a lasting relationship and we'll support you on every step of the way. All young people need multiple adults and an extended network as they grow up and into independent living. Young people in care need particular support building these loving and supportive relationships and networks. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Hear from people who are current Weekenders Learn why it is important for children and the system Find out how it could work for you and your family Discover how to get started with application Ask the team any questions

We are currently looking for Londonders who are interested in foster care but unsure about quite what it involves or whether they can commit full time at this point in their lives. We are recruiting an amazing group of 'Weekenders' to support the same young person for the long-term. You'd be matched with a child whose interests/culture or needs align with you and yours and they'd come to you roughly once a month. Come along to our next event (online) on September 9th at 5.30pm if you think this might suit you and your family! It's a most wonderful way to give a child in care additional support and connection while giving their primary carers space for themselves. We hope it'll improve placement stability and outcomes for children, and in the longer term we hope that it will build a pipeline of people who could make great carers but currently know little about the system. https://lnkd.in/dh6Ryzc7 Sara Fernandez Laurie Kilby Jan Blum Dominic Campbell Mary Jackson #joy #makeadifference #care

We have heard from 400+ people eager to become weekend foster carers! 🏠✨To harness this incredible enthusiasm, we are now looking to partner with two more local authorities in London to run Weekenders. Weekend foster carers regularly support the same child throughout their life, helping them explore new interests, develop skills and have fun. They become foster carers in your service, offering a long-term loving relationship that supports children to thrive. This programme is based on a pilot in Newham in 2023-24, and research into the effects of positive lasting relationships for children in care. We have received philanthropic support to expand this programme to other authorities and we have a pipeline of people who are motivated to start their fostering journey today. If you are a local authority in London interested in partnering with us, we would love to hear from you! Let's collaborate to expand the network of weekend foster carers to support young people, and build your pipeline of in-house foster carers for the future. #FosterCare #WeekendFosterCare #CommunitySupport #Partnership #LondonLocalAuthorities https://lnkd.in/e6YwGvzF

We had an amazing evening at The Children's Inquiry, a verbatim musical about the history of the child social care system. If that sounds a bit wild (a musical about foster care legislation over the past 150 years!?), it kind of is, but we couldn't recommend it enough. It was a real privilege to hear the accounts of care-experienced adults at the post-show talk. Thank you to everyone who shared their story and encouraged others to make a difference in the lives of children and young people in care. The Children's Inquiry is running until the 3rd of August at the Southwark Playhouse. Let us know if you're going; some of our team will be going again, and we'd love to see you there!

This month we launched the Weekenders programme and over 50 people have already booked a time to talk to us about becoming a Weekend Foster Carer. Weekend fostering is a child-centred alternative to respite foster care, supporting care-experienced young people to have more loving, long-term adults in their lives. Additionally, we believe this programme can provide a great stepping stone for new carers to develop the skills they need to foster more in the future. The brilliant thing about Weekend foster care is that you can make a huge difference, while balancing other career responsibilities. If you would like to find out more, head to our readiness checker or get in touch! https://lnkd.in/eKa4Zdax

Our team, composed of foster carers and individuals who grew up in foster families, brings invaluable lived experience to our mission. We're also proud to collaborate with an incredible group of care-experienced young people who provide vital insights into our programmes. As we get ready to launch our Weekenders programme across London, we have sought their expertise to ensure that children and young people's voices are central to our work. Through Weekenders, we want to make sure care-experienced young people have more loving adults to support them long-term as they grow up. We feel encouraged by the feedback provided by our care-experienced advisors: 💬 "It’s not just another person with a notebook who writes things about me. They actually want to befriend me and have that relationship with me. We can get to know each other and maybe have similar interests. That’d be really cool." 💬 "I think the term Weekender is cool. It’s less formal. Social worker, foster carer sounds so ‘ugh’ it’s so professional and boring. If it sounds too professional then you’ll think that this person is just temporary." Stay tuned to learn more about the programme and discover how you can make a lasting difference in a child's life. 🌟 #Fostering #Fostercare #CareExperience #Weekenders

Our team, composed of foster carers and individuals who grew up in foster families, brings invaluable lived experience to our mission. We're also proud to collaborate with an incredible group of care-experienced young people who provide vital insights into our programmes. As we get ready to launch our Weekenders programme across London, we have sought their expertise to ensure that children and young people's voices are central to our work. Through Weekenders, we want to make sure care-experienced young people have more loving adults to support them long-term as they grow up. We feel encouraged by the feedback provided by our care-experienced advisors: 💬 "It’s not just another person with a notebook who writes things about me. They actually want to befriend me and have that relationship with me. We can get to know each other and maybe have similar interests. That’d be really cool." 💬 "I think the term Weekender is cool. It’s less formal. Social worker, foster carer sounds so ‘ugh’ it’s so professional and boring. If it sounds too professional then you’ll think that this person is just temporary." Stay tuned to learn more about the programme and discover how you can make a lasting difference in a child's life. 🌟 #Fostering #Fostercare #CareExperience #Weekenders

Over the past few months, Coram and Now Foster collaborated on a project to explore ways to raise the profile of fostering and adoption amongst people at the beginning of their family-building journey. Fostering and adoption can be brilliant ways to form a family, yet they are often poorly understood. How confidently could you explain the nuances between the two to someone close to you? We wanted to find ways to present these paths side-by-side, so individuals can consider both options with an open mind, choosing the best fit for their family. This test-and-leard project has been an excellent opportunity to engage with potential families and professionals in the field. Check out our blog for more detailed insights and get in touch if want to learn more about this work. https://lnkd.in/e_n5w32G #fostering #adoption #familybuilding #bemyfamily #fostercare

Hi, future Family Builders. We're partnering with Coram to help more people learn about how they can build a family through fostering or adoption. Join our lunchtime webinar on 27th of March if you want to find out more. 🍕 🤓

In the past ten years of being involved in foster care, many friends have talked to me about wanting to adopt or foster, and feeling confused about the differences or how it all works. The reality is that a lot of people think about family building to support children who need a parent, but they never get around to doing it. However, fostering or adoption is not something that will just 'happen' - if you want to be that parent, you do need to figure out how to make it happen proactively 🤓 📝 This event with Coram and Now Foster is a good first step if you think you might want to foster or adopt one day, and will give you all the basic info to explore more in the future or talk to your family about it. Register here and share it with your partners, colleagues friends and other significant others who may want to learn more too: https://lnkd.in/eKzTC8tF