Programmes and Projects

Calling 16- to 25-year-olds!

• Would you like to be a young advocate and join an exciting new project with The Fostering Network?
• Do you have experience of care?
• Have you been a part of a fostering family?
• Are you passionate about change?
• Would you like to share your experience to help inform others?
   

If so, we would love to hear from you!

About Fostering Attainment and Achievement 

Improving the Educational Attainment and Achievement of Looked After Children in Foster Care in Northern Ireland (Fostering Attainment and Achievement) is delivered by The Fostering Network in Northern Ireland and commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board. 

Why do we need to support the education of fostered children and young people?

The Fostering Network believes that it is vital to support the education of fostered children and young people because the available evidence shows that children who are looked after generally have lower attainment at school than other children.  

Project overview

The Foster Carer Retention Project aimed to support fostering services to:

• capture all of the reasons why foster carers leave their fostering service
• identify the optimum timings for processing exit interviews
• identify any themes as to the reasons why foster carers choose to leave
• create a robust process for future exit interviews

• embed learning to enhance retention and subsequent recruitment of foster carers.
   

Fostering Kinship Support is one of a range of innovative programmes that The Fostering Network runs to improve outcomes for kinship families.

For more information about Fostering Kinship Support telephone The Fostering Network in Northern Ireland on 028 9070 5056 or email Nikki Gregg. 

About Step Up Step Down

The programme gives parents the support of a foster carer who can ‘step up’ if the family needs additional support and ‘step down’ when parents are in a better place to support their children. 

Mockingbird is one of a number of innovative programmes that The Fostering Network runs to improve foster care and outcomes for fostered young people.

We are working with a growing number of local authorities, fostering services, children’s services trusts and independent fostering providers across the UK. Please contact the Mockingbird team to discuss how Mockingbird could support fostering families in your service. 

Foster carer champions

This exciting project offered a unique service to foster carers in Scotland.

Foster carer champions are experienced foster carers with an excellent ability to listen to and support carers who may be experiencing problems or just need some one to talk to. Champions have expertise in a wide variety of areas, such as: