ChrysalisCare Fostering

A right Royal celebration!

Our Registered Manager, Ian Dixon, attended the Fostering Network’s ‘A celebration of Fostering’ event last night, at the Royal Festival Hall. The event gave an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work of foster carers nationwide and in light of the recent focus upon adoption, through the well publicised ‘Give a Child a Home’ initiative, the spotlight upon foster carers was extremely welcome.

Amongst some fantastic and powerful testimonies, speeches and performances from care experienced people and foster carers who also represent the Fostering Network at Board level, Tim Loughton MP, the Children’s Minister, gave a speech to be reckoned with. The speech, which Ian describes as ‘impassioned’, can be found at: http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches/a00202579/timloughtonspeaksfosteringnetwork . Importantly, Tim Loughton asserted that the drive to support the fostering task is a priority, that there is a need to reduce bureaucracy and to recognise the professional autonomy of foster carers, stating that: “Foster carers are consummate professionals and we need to treat them as such. For too long, this simply hasn’t happened.” Hear, hear. Tim went on to say: “I am very clear that we must continue to support foster carers to do the best possible job. To make them feel valued. And to recognise the life changing role they play.”

The voices of children and young people and the wider foster care workforce have been rightly centralised, so if you have anything to contribute to the growing dialogue about the importance of foster care, ‘Tell Tim’ at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/families/childrenincare/telltim

Joanna Oliver, Strategic Development Executive