Extraordinary Times 11th Edition

If we were in any doubt of life slowly returning to normal, after spending almost two hours on the M25 yesterday trying to get into the office at Ingatestone, it was clear that things, in some ways very much not for the better, are beginning to get back to normal.

Conversely, with only about ¼ of our young people having returned back to school, things for our young people are still very different. For those returning to school, measures in place in schools mean this will still be a very different experience for our young people. We are continuing to push to ensure that all our young people have the necessary educational input during this time through Julie Cook, as our new Education Lead (and still one of our Supervising Social Workers). Julie is doing some fantastic work advocating for our young people; whether that be pushing for the necessary laptops required, or advocating on school places, to chasing all necessary and outstanding paperwork. Rest assured, we will continue to advocate and work in your, and our young people’s best interests.

Andy Robins, Assistant Director.

Weekly Update during the Coronavirus

Referrals are now as busy as ever, with lots of young people needing fostering homes. We as an agency are particularly full at this time, and with all placements now being considered as placing alongside, so the matching process has to be diligently considered. We are still making placements and continue to work closely with our local authority partners to ensure the best matches are made.

We are also extremely happy to report another week with no suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus either in the staff team, foster carers or young people. Social distancing and hygiene continue to be prioritised by us all, and hopefully this will continue to keep us all safe.

Foster Carer Recruitment

As highlighted above, we are extremely busy at the moment with referrals and young people desperately needing a foster home. If you know anyone who is interested in fostering, please do point them in our direction. And a reminder, if you are already a foster carer with us, for every prospective foster carer you recommend us to, when we receive their completed application pack, we will ensure you receive the previously announced thankyou. Please do continue to support us and keep new carers coming through.

Panel

Affinity had another successful panel at the weekend, and we are delighted to confirm that a couple from Essex have joined the Affinity family. Placements are now being considered for our new foster carers, who bring with them lots of relevant experience and a strong support network. We’re thrilled to have them on board and look forward to their fostering career flourishing with Affinity.

Foster Carer Service Feedback

Is there anything further we as an agency could be doing to better support you? I’d love to hear from you if so, or if there is anything you would like to highlight as being particularly positive about our service at this time – all feedback is welcome so please email me directly on andy.robins@affinityfostering.com or call me in the office. I’d love to hear from you.

Affinity Fostering on Social Media

Some fabulous content you may have missed over the last week include a live feed for Dinosaurs After Dark on our facebook page; the latest instalment from the secret foster carer on our fostering blog page; links from CEOP (from the National Crime Agency) for online safety at home activity packs, and helpful links from Young Minds for young carers to support mental health on our Twitter feed. So don’t miss out, give us a follow or a like.