Twin sisters Olivia and Candice grew up in a fostering household and they loved the fun and diversity it brought to their home. Now adults, they have reflected on the impact fostering had on them and how it’s shaped them into the people they are today.

Corinne Masheder is an occupational therapist who helps people overcome challenges so that they can live independently at home, at work and everywhere else, empowering people to participate in everyday life activities. 

Whilst at university earlier this year, she started to think about how occupational therapy could help children in care who face unfair barriers to participation in activities. One taboo topic came into focus – menstruation. She explains how without the right products and education, periods can be a particularly debilitating part of the month for young people in care.

At The Fostering Network we are committed to becoming a more inclusive and diverse organisation, so we’ve signed up to The Black Care Experience Charter. Chief executive Sarah Thomas explains what this means for The Fostering Network and the next steps we’ll take towards honouring these commitments. 

Dr Raja Mukherjee and Dr Alexandra Carlisle are experts in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). They are leads at the National Clinic for FASD – the only specialist clinic in the UK for assessing children and adults for FASD.

In this blog they explain how understanding of the condition has changed over the years and key advice for helping someone with a diagnosis.

This blog is written by Dr Ro Rossiter, Consultant Clinical Psychologist. It aims to introduce PELI CAN (Promoting Emotional Literacy in Children With Additional Needs). This is a free web-based framework with story guidance and resources for foster carers to use at home.