Young people with experience of care leading an England-wide participation project

Funded by the Big Lottery – three years from September To increase the participation of young people in care, care leavers and sons and daughters of foster carers, in order to improve the delivery of fostering related services. Purpose of the Project?

Who are we ? Manager. Administrative worker. Participation Project workers. Sessional workers /assistant sessional workers. North and South teams. All have experience of care/fostering

Who we are

What does the literature say ? Five pieces listed in resource centre Under-researched Small scale Information – six books Other resources - six Videos – celebration event in October

What is going on for sons and daughters in England A few fostering agencies with established programmes. Groups run by fostering agencies and FCAs. Mostly activity-based. Some regular / others holiday times. Not many preparation training.

What are we doing? Aim is to give sons and daughters a voice. Looked at involvement in assessment process. What the national minimum standards say. Team meetings. Consultations – London / North East. Questionnaire.

What do you think they said? Workshop task: How are sons and daughters involved in the assessment process in your agency/home? How are their needs and views considered within the national minimum standards? What do you think should be included?

Consultation feedback – assessment process Experience of fostering – 35-0 years. Idea came from Mum. Not generally aware of the process. Little awareness of social worker. Memory of house/ bedroom being seen. Impact of the first placement.

Consultation feedback NMS ‘They are children - shouldn’t matter where they are from’ ‘Hard to communicate because of different language’ Often don’t know much information- or it is ‘wrong’ Fostering – opportunity to meet people you would not otherwise meet.

Consultation feedback - training Sons and daughters should have first aid training. Specific training- communication issues, disabilities, drug abuse. Training related to behavioural issues, how to deal with violence, confidentiality. Young people-friendly training.

Consultation feedback Supervision/ Support Some young people said they had never met their supervising social worker (SSW). Mixed responses from questionnaire -Yes - see SSW sometimes. - No - they are not interested. - Not my business. Involvement in foster care reviews- mixed.

Consultation feedback recording Lack of awareness about Form F – most not read it. Lack of awareness about expectations of foster carers to record.

Feedback from questionnaires Process of distribution and return. What was asked: - How long fostering/approval. -Involvement in assessment process. -What they remember about the children/young people who lived with them. - How much say in who comes to stay and reasons why. - Ongoing contact with SSWs. - Inclusion in outings for looked-after children. -One thing they would change about a fostering service if they were in charge.

What they said I would change the rules about sharing bedrooms and sleepovers (15). I would personally keep the amount of contact with social workers to a minimum and I would change the way fostered children are stereotyped and industrialised. An allowance to the son/daughter for having to share my house as things are taken and broken.

Recommendations so far Family welcome pack/leaflet for CYP being placed. Agency placement decisions to consider needs of children in family, too. Contact arrangements – consider needs of children in foster family, too. Young people-friendly version of fostering policies.

Recommendations (cont.) Recognition of information- sharing to sons and daughters according to age/ understanding. Availability and access of training for sons and daughters. Recording policy/practice to include consideration of the implications for sons and daughters.

Additional thoughts Time alone with parents without fostered children. Days out for both groups together. What are yours?

What happens next Follow-up questionnaire over the summer. Mapping of sons and daughters groups. Swapping lives events. Sons and daughters week during October half-term.