Creativity and compassion help foster children thrive in lockdown
“We’ve put together activity bags based on our personal knowledge of the interests of each child – these have been welcomed hugely by the foster families.” Polly, support worker in Devon
A fostered ‘My Little Pony’ fan displays jigsaw puzzles sent to her by her support workers
Normally, fostered children would expect to see their support workers and social workers regularly. Our fostering teams are pulling out all the stops to compensate for this in the lockdown. They have found new ways to occupy children and their fostering families.
We have been delighted to see many of our young people thriving and responding positively to the adversity of Covid-19. This is thanks to the dedication of our foster carers, and the application of their natural creative compassion.
Spreading Positivity and Unity
Francesca Sparks, a support worker in the South West, says,
“Since the government asked everyone to stay home, there has been such a team effort between foster carers and staff to spread positivity, humour and inspiration to others. We do this by sharing tips on keeping upbeat and entertained during this period of national lockdown, and the amount of creative compassion our families have shown is impressive. For example, one family decorated their home with public artwork to show their support of the NHS, and two little boys in Swindon created fantastic ‘Wish Pots’ for local families to pick up on their daily walks. The pots contained the suggestion that the family fills the jar with things they are looking forward to when the lockdown ends”
Social Bonding through Online Activity
Video conferencing has provided an excellent opportunity for foster parents to have a break, while the young people get to bond with each other. Melanie Chope, a support worker in West Country, writes,
“We are holding weekly meetups online using video conferencing. The teenage young people are meeting on Tuesdays for fun activities like fancy dress, drawing and hangman. A ‘secret sounds’ game taking turns playing a sound for the others to guess caused much hilarity. Our younger children play together on Thursdays. This has been loads of fun with jokes, riddles, treasure hunts and have even got to know each other’s pets!”
New Confidence in Online Skills
Hilary Young has fostered an 11 year-old boy in the West Country for 4 years. She thinks the online sessions have helped him gain confidence and skills after the closure of his school triggered feelings of anxiety:
“It’s been great for him to know that there are others in the same situation as him and that he is not alone. He’s begun to look forward to the sessions. Now I find he is more open when he is on the conference calls so I let him get on with it! I was worried about him meeting his new social worker on screen, but with his experience of the online interaction – he was absolutely fine.”
We train carers to provide emotional support for vulnerable young children through adversity. Difficult situations can be a trigger for a child that has experienced trauma and loss. Our young people’s positivity is evidence of the amazing work our families do everyday.
Want to help a child recover from trauma and neglect?
Compassion and creative play are two aspects of parenting that we value and encourage. If you think you could offer a young person a home for short or long term care, please explore our fostering recruitment process, below.