With the Government’s clear instruction that we must stay home, alternative ways are having to be found for children to keep in touch with their birth families and other people that are important to them. The maintaining of children’s special relationships has never been more important. For many foster carers, fostering service staff and birth families this means trying new video calling programmes, like Zoom, Google Hangouts and Skype, as well as keeping in touch with telephone calls and messages.

Conducting fostering panels is essential but with the lockdown firmly in place, it can be challenging. Many services are now looking to virtual fostering panels as a way forward. Helen, a panel chair for Rochdale Borough Council, conducted her first virtual fostering panel recently and here tells us how it went.

In this blog Susan Soar from our Fostering Potential programme looks at some ways in which foster carers can support children’s learning during the current coronavirus outbreak.

The Westminster Government committed to an independent care review in England at the end of 2019. As the UK’s leading fostering charity representing tens of thousands of foster carers and hundreds of fostering services, we have been working with other organisations in the sector as well as care experienced people to influence the process and ensure it meets the needs of those working in, or with lived experience of, the care system.

For Willow, becoming a foster family meant significant changes. Less alone time, more social interaction, and being outside of his comfort zone a lot more. The 15-year-old, who has sensory processing difficulties, had to get used to the new situation at home but was intrigued to foster right away. He now plays a vital part in the household and supports his parents in delivering the best possible care for a boy with ADHD.

Lucy November is the creator of Fostering Hope, an online resource for foster carers and professionals that promotes excellence in parent-and-child foster care, recognising this as a specialised role needing additional training, skills and support. We caught up with Lucy to find out more about the website and what is available.

County lines is becoming an increasing problem within the UK and vulnerable children, including fostered children, are being exploited across towns and cities. Here you can read more about it.