Fostering for Wolverhampton hosts inspiring conference

Foster parents and social workers came together at the Molineux Stadium for the annual Fostering for Wolverhampton conference to share best practice to further improve fostering services for the city's children and young people in care.

This year’s conference, themed ‘Believe to Achieve’, focused on the critical role of education in supporting children and young people in care to achieve positive outcomes, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Sessions focused on supporting foster parents to overcome personal challenges while empowering children and young people to do the same. Discussions covered the importance of early years education, right up to post 16 education, employment and training support, where we heard from a young person about how they were supported to overcome barriers to education.

The annual conference was also an opportunity to formally congratulate foster parents who had completed the Nurturing and Therapeutic Parenting courses within the year.

The conference was opened by Alison Hinds, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director of Children’s Services, while the keynote speaker, Stuart Guest, Headteacher at Colebourne Primary School, gave an insight into the relationship between education and trauma-informed practice to support the needs of our young people.

Councillor Jacqui Coogan, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: "We are dedicated to continually supporting our foster parents to give children the best possible childhoods and further improving outcomes for our children and young people in care.

“Holding an annual fostering conference gives us a great opportunity to offer insights into changes in policies, best practices, and approaches as well as sessions and keynote speakers on topics specifically tailored to foster care.

“As well as offering the opportunity to connect with other foster parents and the fostering service, our conferences can enhance foster parents’ skills and confidence and positively impact on the lives of the children in their care.

“The event was a huge success and allowed us to build on the skills that our foster parents have to provide children with a safe and loving family. It also meant we could say a massive thank you to our many foster parents who do a fantastic job, day in, day out, to give children and young people the best possible start in life.”

Fostering for Wolverhampton welcomes foster parents from a wide range of backgrounds, professions, and ethnic groups. Foster parents must live within a 20-mile radius of Wolverhampton, have a spare bedroom, and have room in their heart to look after our most vulnerable children and young people.

The fostering process can take as little as 16 weeks and all foster parents will receive specialist support and training as well as a regular, tax exempt fee and allowance to cover the cost of caring for a child.

Around the clock help and support is available for foster carers, with a ‘buddy system’ in place from experienced foster parents to help newcomers along their fostering journey. There are also regular social events for foster families throughout the year.

People can find out more about fostering by visiting www.fosteringforwolverhampton.com or calling the Fostering for Wolverhampton team on 01902 551133.

Foster parents with Fostering for Wolverhampton staff and, centre, Alison Hinds, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director of Children’s Services, and Councillor Jacqui Coogan, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education.