2023-03-28 13:45
Foster carers, or anyone considering fostering, might be interested to know that this week is World ‘Autism Acceptance Week’. This makes for good timing as we start a blog series… Read More
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Fostering Agency London Blog
rainbowfostering.co.uk/blog
We are independent fostering and private foster care agency in London UK.
2023-03-27 09:16
Foster carers who might be contemplating specialising in Parent and Child placements can benefit from an understanding of why a parent and baby come into foster care. Each case will be diffe… Read More
2023-02-28 11:08
Foster carers working in this area use their skills and training to help a vulnerable parent gain the knowledge and confidence needed to parent their child. In the past, these placements wer… Read More
2023-02-22 12:14
Foster carers will hopefully benefit from this new blog series for 2023. Timed to coincide with Rainbow’s twenty-fifth anniversary year, it looks forward just as we mark the very consi… Read More
2022-12-19 11:23
Foster care provision is set to come under even greater strain in the coming weeks. The reason: delays to mental health treatment in England mean more children are being taken into care. The… Read More
2022-11-29 11:11
Foster carers are trained to understand the importance of life story work, memory boxes, and their diary recordings. Anyone who is new to foster care needs to appreciate that their role as a… Read More
2022-11-22 10:42
Thanks to John: foster carer – Manchester region.
Could anyone have guessed that the new millennium would so quickly begin to resemble a return to some of the worst excesses of the… Read More
2022-11-17 10:03
Foster carers and parents commonly experience difficult issues when looking after teenagers. There are many areas of potential conflict: agreeing on what is an acceptable time to stay out at… Read More
2022-11-15 14:41
Foster carers who have looked after teenagers will certainly understand the challenges that adolescence can pose. This can be a difficult time for all concerned. Teenagers, quite naturally… Read More
2022-11-08 10:01
Foster carers who have been fostering for a while understand one of the key stages in the process of ensuring a placement works out are managing first impressions. And one of the most challe… Read More
2022-11-02 11:35
Foster carers with experience will know that there are key stages in the process of ensuring the success of a placement. Waiting for a child or young person to arrive can be stressful. The r… Read More
2022-10-26 10:39
Foster carers should familiarise themselves with “The Good Childhood Report’ which has just been produced by The Children’s Society. Disturbingly, it points to a marked dec… Read More
2022-09-30 15:10
Mika and Bernice’s fostering story.
My wife Bernice and I now have 12 years fostering experience under our belt now. The day we were newly approved to foster was unforgettable. But… Read More
2022-09-30 11:12
Foster carers will hopefully have greater awareness of FASD as the Red shoes campaign for 2022 draws to a close. We would like to thank everyone for the hugely positive response to our socia… Read More
2022-09-28 13:37
Foster carers routinely experience the insecurity and unhappiness of vulnerable children. The abuse and disruption to what most would consider normal life that has been visited on so many ch… Read More
2022-09-27 09:22
Foster care: another instalment in our Rainbow fostering knowledge building series. This explores subjects aimed at facilitating wider understanding of topics that connect with the experienc… Read More
2022-09-22 09:14
Foster carers looking after a teenager – along with all parents in the same situation – will have been counting down the days and hours to the big day. The start of university li… Read More
2022-09-15 13:33
Foster care: another instalment in our Rainbow fostering knowledge building series. This explores subjects aimed at equipping carers with a broader understanding of issues that relate direct… Read More
2022-09-13 11:44
Foster care is all about looking out for and assessing the needs of vulnerable children. But all of us – whatever our age can become vulnerable. This can happen quickly especially if a… Read More
2022-09-09 11:49
Foster care: another in our Rainbow knowledge building series aimed at equipping carers with a broader understanding of subjects that connect directly to fostering. September is Foetal Alcoh… Read More
2022-09-02 13:43
“It was a turning point – one very much for the better – when we both made the decision to foster.”
It’s a bit scary making that initial call. We needn&rsquo&hell…Read More
2022-08-31 09:59
Foster care aimed at supporting a deaf child will mean managing certain issues unique to this form of disability. Problems with sleeping can be common amongst deaf children and young people… Read More
2022-08-25 14:34
“It was one of the best days of my life when I decided to become a foster carer with Rainbow.”
I have a cousin who has been a foster carer for nearly sixteen years. I have to… Read More
2022-08-23 14:45
Foster carers, just like everyone else, are likely to have many misconceptions about deafness. It’s important to debunk these so carers are equipped with a better understanding before… Read More
2022-08-23 08:53
We take pride in Rainbow Fostering being a community of individuals from many different walks of life, cultures, and backgrounds. That means we are home to a wide range of differing views an… Read More
2022-08-17 13:10
The idea of becoming a foster carer may seem like a giant step into an unknown world. The truth is the assessment process is straightforward. And at every stage we are there to offer guidanc… Read More
2022-08-16 10:26
Foster carers need to appreciate that each deaf child will have different needs. The nature of deafness can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. Being able to communicate is the priority s… Read More
2022-08-15 08:57
Foster care service providers will be aware of the concerning projection that by 2025, there could be as many as 100,000 children and young people in the care system. This will have many con… Read More
2022-08-04 08:38
Foster care has many different facets. It is a complex, often challenging job. We can all agree on that – just as we can agree helping children overcome educational disadvantage is cen… Read More
2022-08-02 08:37
Every once in a while a great sporting day comes along and you just know it will live long in the memory: England’s World Cup victory in 1966, Mo Farrer’s gold medal triumph in t… Read More
2022-07-22 09:38
Foster carers might be surprised to learn that according to information contained in the 2001 census, around 55,000 children in England were being brought up by their siblings. An astonishin… Read More
2022-07-19 11:10
Foster carers can make a big difference when it comes to a young person beginning university life. It’s both a stressful and exciting time. Thinking ahead and making some common sense… Read More
2022-07-15 09:42
Foster care is ultimately all about supporting a young person to make the best of opportunities in life. Children who come into foster care have; compared to their peers, experienced many di… Read More
2022-07-11 11:10
Foster carers are likely at some point in their career to have to provide support to a young person moving on to university or college life. This blog series covers the main areas young peop… Read More
2022-06-30 14:53
Foster carers and parents should understand that diagnosing a learning disability can be difficult especially at the mild end of the spectrum. It’s possible to diagnose a learning disa… Read More
2022-06-29 10:26
Foster carers should have an appreciation of the four categories of learning disability: mild, moderate, severe, and profound. Some individuals with a severe learning disability or PMLD (pro… Read More
2022-06-27 14:37
Foster carers are trained to provide care for children and young people many of whom come into care with a range of differing needs. A significant number have autism – a spectrum condi… Read More
2022-05-04 10:53
Foster carers today are in a very different position from carers even ten years ago. This is a short series with this first part serving as a brief introduction to the term ‘contextual… Read More
2022-05-03 14:31
It had been an exciting week for the family. Bringing home a pet dog had seemed a rather distant idea to start with – nevertheless, it was certainly one we had been committed to. It ha… Read More
2022-03-29 13:19
Foster care attracts individuals from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures. We celebrate the fact our carers are strengthened by being part of our community. This means as their knowledge i… Read More
2022-03-25 11:02
Hi – it’s Mike – in part 2 hopefully, I managed to set the scene: a window into our own fostering household and a particularly memorable experience we shared a few weeks ba… Read More
2022-03-23 10:15
My name is Aly Karim and I am a recruitment and placement officer at Rainbow. I have been here for five years and take great pleasure in our ‘Outstanding in all areas’ rating fro… Read More
2022-03-22 14:42
Hi – it’s Phil – in my last blog for Rainbow I provided a little background into our foster family and how we came in a roundabout way to fostering: time now to describe wh… Read More
2022-03-08 15:17
Foster care is only likely to rise up the political agenda and increasingly pervade the public’s consciousness. This is because it has been reported that by 2025, the number of childre… Read More
2022-03-04 11:47
Hi – I’m Phil, Rainbow foster carer with my wife Shirley. I’ve been asked to write a bit about our experience as foster carers. Where do you start? Not easy to choose &ndas&hell…Read More
2022-03-02 10:51
The right decisions are needed for long-term foster care as carers looking after children on a long-term basis are playing a crucial role in transforming their lives. This was confirmed in a… Read More
2021-12-09 14:46
Foster carers need to lend their full support to Voices 22. This is the annual creative writing competition organized each year by the charity Coram Voice. This year’s theme is ‘… Read More
2021-11-30 11:09
Foster care involves a huge commitment to supporting children to fulfill their potential at school. This can be one of the biggest challenges a foster carer faces. Children who come into car… Read More
2021-11-24 12:41
Foster care has many rewards but there can be challenges too. And one of the most challenging aspects of fostering is the possibility that at some time a carer – or someone in their fo… Read More
2021-11-24 10:36
Foster carers come from all kinds of different backgrounds which means at Rainbow we benefit from a range of opinions covering many issues that relate to fostering. These opinions may differ… Read More
2021-11-23 14:45
Foster carers are at risk of allegations. That is a fact and whilst being an unwelcome one, thinking about it is a way of coping with an actual allegation or the thought of one. Not all fost… Read More
2021-11-18 11:25
Foster carers can benefit from the wealth of information that is generated during Anti-Bullying Week. It’s important to have an understanding of the complexity of this subject and the… Read More
2021-11-17 14:35
Foster carers will all appreciate the importance of this year’s Anti-Bullying Week which highlights what remains a persistent problem. #OneKindWord is the overarching theme this year t… Read More
2021-10-28 13:53
Foster carers will hopefully benefit from this two-part series on some of the basics of providing foster care for teenagers. In part 1, the importance of approaching this with the mindset of… Read More
2021-10-26 13:16
Foster carers are a good reflection of society at large as they come from such diverse backgrounds. Although opinions always differ, carers are united in their commitment and interest in tho… Read More
2021-10-22 08:47
Foster carers need to keep some simple rules in mind in relation to fostering teenagers. These placements can be challenging but they can also be highly rewarding. How you behave as a foster… Read More
2021-10-20 10:32
Foster carers tend to be older people with the majority being in their mid to late fifties. That means in their youth no one had heard of a climate crisis because, as far as anyone knew, the… Read More
2021-10-15 09:45
Foster carers who already have their own biological children have to overcome additional challenges when fostering. In parts 1 and 2 of this series – running concurrently with The Fost… Read More
2021-10-12 13:44
This month The Fostering Network’s annual campaign Sons and Daughters is underway celebrating the extremely important contribution these children make to fostering. In part 1, we looke… Read More
2021-10-07 13:37
Foster carers will be aware of The Fostering Network’s annual campaign each October which recognizes the extremely valuable input that the children of carers contribute to foster care… Read More
2021-10-06 10:50
As an experienced foster carer, there are some good reasons why you might consider transferring to Rainbow. Before explaining these, it’s important to understand why we are interested… Read More
2021-07-16 10:53
Foster carers can, hopefully, look forward to this summer and the probable easing of restrictions. And anyone who is fostering can benefit from finding out about this year’s camp… Read More
2021-07-09 11:27
Foster carers like all parents will know how important it is to keep children entertained and happy this summer – especially after the pressures of the lockdowns. And foster carers sho… Read More
2021-07-08 14:29
Foster carers like most of us are busy people. Often far too busy to see the wood for the trees. All of us are on a personal mission of one sort or another. But whatever it may be, we take f… Read More
2021-07-05 14:16
Foster care systems in other countries have been challenged by this pandemic. Living in the UK it can be easy to forget this. But many of the effects have been similar just as they have been… Read More
2021-06-30 09:50
Foster carers perhaps live with a heightened sense of risk compared to your average parent. That’s understandable since they deal with vulnerable children – many of whom came int… Read More
2021-06-23 14:33
Foster carers will be aware of the rising numbers of children who are coming into care needing specialist support. This is because so many of them have experienced trauma as a consequence of… Read More
2021-06-18 10:12
Foster carers like us really appreciate the opportunity to write about our experience of fostering. My partner Susan and I have been carers with Rainbow for the past six years. And, yes, as… Read More
2021-06-08 10:54
Foster carers will benefit from knowing how to implement strategies in relation to therapeutic fostering if they understand the key dynamics involved. In the first of this series, issues con… Read More
2021-06-03 14:53
Foster carers will probably be familiar with the term therapeutic parenting. This is a brief series where we take a general look at the subject. Anyone considering fostering should equip the… Read More
2021-06-02 10:57
Foster carer Ben reflects on the tumultuous events over the last sixteen months.
It wasn’t that long ago that when pressed for an answer many of us might have confused the terms epi… Read More
2021-05-27 13:29
Foster carers, along with everyone else, have just experienced an unprecedented year. There have been many impacts, but one thing that is becoming clear is the toll recent events have taken… Read More
2021-05-25 11:54
Foster carers along with all parents need to be mindful of the results of a recent survey. It has found that a third of children in the UK are playing in isolation more. And a quarter is pla… Read More
2021-05-20 13:24
Foster carers share their experiences of fostering. Thank you Wendy and Robert.
“We have been foster carers with Rainbow for eight years. We thought most things had come our way ove… Read More
2021-05-19 14:44
Fostering children increasingly requires foster carers to equip themselves with an expanding range of capabilities. Skills in therapeutic caregiving are seen as essential to maintaining the… Read More
2021-05-18 14:44
Foster carers need to keep records. It is one of the most important tasks they have as foster carers. Detailed record keeping can seem to be something of a chore but carers records are an es… Read More
2021-05-18 09:35
Foster carers, like all parents, will have bemoaned the lack of opportunities for social contact for their children during the lockdowns. The ubiquitous zoom lessons; an initially novel feat… Read More
2021-05-07 11:01
Foster carers need to keep records. It is a key part of the fostering task. And much like any other job, detailed record-keeping can seem to be a chore. A carers records are an essenti… Read More
2021-05-05 13:03
Fostering faces many challenges and one of the toughest at this moment in time is trying to ensure that siblings can be kept together. This vulnerable group really does face an uphill strugg… Read More
2021-04-26 11:28
Fostering has many different faces. There are foster carers looking after asylum seekers, teenagers, supporting Parent and Child placements, caring for disabled children, or facilitating the… Read More
2021-04-22 15:08
Foster carers will be familiar – like all parents – with the usual anxieties that children have on their journey through adolescence to adulthood. In the past, these have been fa… Read More
2021-04-20 14:14
Foster carers will be familiar with the adage that something is not missed until it is gone: certainly true of many things. And it would certainly be true if books were to disappear for good… Read More
2021-04-07 14:06
Foster carers like everyone else are caught up in a world changed by Tech. Today there are different types of technology impacting our daily experience. These range from product technology… Read More
2021-03-25 14:48
Foster carers, and service providers, should know there is a new broom in town in the form of the incoming children’s commissioner. Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner… Read More
2021-03-24 12:32
Foster care service providers, care professionals and anyone with a professional interest in the care and welfare of children will be aware of the recent – National Child Exploitation… Read More
2021-03-24 10:53
Foster care service providers will be aware of many significant dates in the calendar and their relevance to the welfare of children and young people. The 18th of March – National Chil… Read More
2021-03-12 14:40
Fostering depends upon having a passionate interest in supporting the development of children and young people. This blog series examines key aspects of child development in order to provide… Read More
2021-03-10 14:23
Foster carers should be aware that the official launch of the children’s social care review is upon us. It is led by Frontline’s ex CEO Josh MacAlister. Stakeholders, such as Dan… Read More
2021-03-10 11:02
Foster care means having both an interest in and commitment to supporting children and young people’s development. This series looks at the subject of child development to give foster… Read More
2021-03-05 14:49
Hi my name is Millie, you know one of the charms of being a foster carer is the unexpected delight at the innocent wisdom that you find children have. It always surprises me and then makes m… Read More
2021-03-05 14:32
Foster carers everywhere should be taking this opportunity to add their voices to the general debate. The pandemic and all the consequences that have flowed from it have been keenly felt by… Read More
2021-03-03 15:01
Foster carers and the providers they work with will be all too familiar with children and young people who either self-harm or are at risk of doing so. Over 65% of children coming into care… Read More
2021-02-26 10:11
Hi all! My name’s Greg – foster carer, dad and appropriately enough general dogsbody (only joking!) You know we’ve been fostering for nearly ten years now and as all foster… Read More
2021-02-24 15:02
Foster care can be challenging at the best of times. All children come with baggage and a set of unique needs. But what motivates those to foster children who have a disability. After all, t… Read More
2021-02-24 11:23
Rainbow Fostering is a community: like-minded individuals from all walks of life, backgrounds and diverse cultures. Being a foster carer can be challenging in many ways. One of the most impo… Read More
2021-02-18 15:35
Foster care, many in wider society still think of a being just about ‘heads on beds’. Nothing could be further from the truth because more and more children are coming into care… Read More
2021-02-11 14:53
Fostering service providers will be looking keenly at the statistics describing the key trends. This is the latest data provided by the government and was published on the 10th of December 2… Read More
2021-02-10 14:49
Fostering children requires carers to have the confidence to deal with a whole range of situations. Some can be anticipated and others not. All will require a response. In this series of blo… Read More
2021-02-03 14:41
Fostering children means becoming aware of the inequalities of life. Many children who come into foster care have had experiences most of us would find hard to believe. It is to their enduri… Read More
2021-01-28 12:11
Fostering children has always been challenging. Parents and foster carers have to be mindful of risks that have always existed but have now; because of technology, escalated to an unpreceden… Read More
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