Message from the Team LeaderWelcome to your Christmas edition of the Foster Carers Newsletter and once again we have lots going on to celebrate. Below you will find details of our foster carers Christmas lunch, Children’s Christmas Party and what some of our support groups will be doing to celebrate the festive season. We will be continuing the celebrations through into the New Year with our Annual Awards Ceremony on 24th January. This is shaping up to be an event not to be missed, jam packed with entertainment, activities and of course the chance to celebrate all of the amazing achievements of our Looked After Children and our fabulous foster families. It is an absolute privilege for me to be involved in this event and I am really looking forward to seeing as many of you there as possible. Having joined the fostering service over the summer I am gradually getting to know many of you and it has been a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated fostering service. Over the last 6 months I have seen the difference your hard work and dedication has made to the lives of some of our children and young people and on behalf of the whole of North Somerset Council I would like to thank you for your ongoing commitment and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2016!! Warm regardsBecky NorrisFostering Team Leader

If you would like to contribute to this newsletter please contact the Business Support team at the

Resource Service Tel: 01934 426900

Newsletter Dec 2015/Jan 2016

Annual Awards Ceremony 24th Jan 2016 @ Weston Pier 12-4pm

Christmas Party Dates for your Diary

Approval & Beyond! - 7th Dec @ The Firs 7-9pm including mince pies.

Fostering Stay & Play – 11th Dec 1-2.30m @ Ashcombe Children’s Centre

You are invited to our Annual Awards Ceremony!! Here in North Somerset we are incredibly proud of the job you all do and the achievements and successes of our looked after children and young people. This will be an afternoon of celebration and entertainment with lots of fun and activities for the whole family (including a pier ride wrist band for the children and young people after the event). Invitations will be sent out shortly and will include a nomination form for those of you who haven’t done this already. As well as certificates of recognition for all of our children, young people and carers, we will have outstanding achievements awards in 5 categories including:

Looked After Children Care Leavers Foster Carers Children of Foster Carers Social Workers / Supervising Social Workers (or

other members of staff who have really made difference)

Further details will be sent out with your initiation. This is guaranteed to be a fantastic afternoon so please make sure you reserve your place and we look forward to seeing you there!!

Articles for next newsletter by Jan 8th 2016

15th December 2015Foster Carer’s Christmas Lunch @ The Woolpack, St Georges, closing date for bookings 5th Dec. Please contact Linda Brewer on 01934620471

5th December 2015Children’s Christmas Party - 4 to 6.30pm, closing date for bookings 1st Dec. Please contact Linda Brewer on 01934620471

Fostering recruitment with Shared Lives at Weston Hospital

Events in your area

WebsiteComing soon… The new improved website will soon be up and running. With news and events regularly updated, a Members only section for carers, and lots of information for the public about Fostering for North Somerset. Check out the Foster Carer Stories which show written accounts of some of your Fostering journeys, as well as videos of a couple of our carers. We are always looking to add to our foster carer stories and videos, so get in touch if you would like to be featured.

Sam had 92 small cars, he met a friend and gave him 22 of them. How many small cars does he have now?

50-26+4=?

Name the shape?

The day before yesterday, Chris was 7 years old. Next year, she’ll turn 10. How is this possible?

Look out for the answers in the next edition!

300g plain flour60g brown sugar60g butter90ml golden syrup2 tsp ground ginger1tsp mixed spice1 egg yolk2tsp bic of soda dissolved in waterMix together flour, mixed spice & ginger. Melt butter, syrup & sugar on low heat, add to the flour mix along with bic of soda & whisked egg yolk. Knead until forms a soft dough. Roll out to 5mm thickness, press out ginger bread men with cutter & place on baking tray allowing room for them to expand. Bake in oven @ 180c for 15 mins.Once cooled, decorate how you like!

Snow is so much fun. Don’t you just love scrunching around in it, having snowball fights and building snowmen? Have you ever wondered how it’s made? Well here’s how:There are little water vapors in the air and before they turn into water, they freeze and form crystals of ice. But why does this happen? Basically this is when the temperature way up there in the clouds is seriously cold, making ice instead of water. This is when snowflakes are made and fall as snow.

Kids Corner

Weston College Awards for Success Winner Sophia Tuplin

Festive Family Elf Trail! Runs until 18th Dec 2015

westonsupermare.com/events/festive-

Christmas Ginger Bread

Sophia says “At Weston College awards ceremony, I was delighted to win Apprentice of the Year and the Principle Award for Placement of the Year. The support Weston College and the Council have given me has been outstanding. I would recommend doing an apprenticeship with the Council to anyone”.On behalf of the whole of North Somerset Council, we are proud of everything Sophia has achieved and delighted she continues to work with us.

We are excited to announce that we are starting a comprehensive group work programme in January, six groups will be available to young people on a rolling basis, to include:

Transitions Group – Jan–Feb 2016 Growing Up Group – Feb–Mar 2016 Girls Group – Apr–May 2016 Boys Group – Jun–Jul 2016 Angry Birds/Fire Crackers Group Sep-Oct2016 Social Skills/Cooking Group – Nov-Dec2016

Please contact Deb Stephens or Helen Stock for further info on 01934426900.

Group Work Programme 2016

How is Snow Made?

Quiz Time

A Street Dance group is starting on Wed 25th Nov 2015 from 5-6pm at the Barn in Clevedon. The group is open to young people in foster care aged 10–16years. It will run for 7 sessions and will be led by a qualified dance instructor. At the end of the sessions the Young People will perform their routines at the Awards Ceremony on 24th Jan 2016. If you know a young person who would like to attend please call Helen Stock or Deb Stephens on 01934 426900

Tropicana to become The Theatre @ The Bay!! For more information including performance times and ticket prices go to www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com or by calling 01179 020344.

Useful Contacts

Resource Service: 01934 426900EDT: 01454 615165NS Foster Care Association: 07784937981Main switchboard: 01275 888888Consult: 01934 421956North Somerset Council:http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Pages/default.aspx

Fostering Network:

CONSULTService Providing a secure base for children in care – Upcoming Workshops.Early experiences of separation or neglectful or abusive parenting will cause children to distrust close relationships. Attachment theory, though, suggest that consistent exposure to warm, committed and reliable caregiving can change children’s expectations. Professor Gillian Schofield and colleagues from University of East Anglia, have developed a model called the ‘Secure Base’, as a guide for carers and professionals. There are five components to the ‘Secure Base’ and these are intended to replicate all those key elements of good and safe parenting, which might not have been available in the birth-family home. The five components are:Availability – helping children to trust.Sensitivity – helping children to manage feelings and behavior.Acceptance – building self-esteem.Co-operation – helping children to feel effective.Family membership – helping children to belong.The CONSULTService, together with fostering team colleagues, have been working towards making the Secure Base model a key part of fostering practice, with its five dimensions being included in the supervision model provided by Supervising Social Workers. A series of workshops is being planned, to fully explain Secure Base practice, and these workshops will be available to all foster carers. Please watch this space!

Ambassador Group A quick reminder that the next Ambassador Group is at our new location of the Town Hall on the 8 th December, Library entrance by the Map. The time has changed slightly to account for the school runs’ some carers need to do, so this will be: 9.30am – 10.30am. The Ambassador Group is a really helpful way for us to work together as staff and carers to make sure that we are recruiting new carers in the best way possible, and we really value your input. If you would like to join us then please contact Charlotte Moore on 01934 426900. All are welcome.

Support Groups

Support Group details are now available on CPD online, so bookings and attendance is recognized as part of carer development. How about making joining a Support Group one of your New Year Resolutions?

Fostering Stay & Play for under 5’s: 11th Dec – wear fancy dress! Next group 8th Jan.

Teenagers: support group on hold while training arranged.

Adoption Support: (Crèche available) - 5th Jan

SAFE: Carers of children with additional needs 13th Jan

Approval & Beyond: – 7th Dec Refresh: – for kinship and SGO

carers – 26th JanFor more info check out CPD online or speak with your SSW.

Foster Carer NewsFaces and Voices of Fostering –Foster Carers can have a diverse range of backgrounds and experience. To dispel any myths around not being able to foster due to age and certain lifestyles and family situations, we will be running a press piece in the New Year to highlight the different “faces of fostering”, and possibly a radio campaign to highlight different “voices of fostering”. We will be approaching a number of carers to help showcase the range of people that can make great carers. Don’t forget, we are always looking for ways to celebrate the great job that our carers do and to raise the profile of North Somerset fostering. So if you have a story you think may be interesting, or have an idea for a press piece – please do let us know!

Training Child Sexual Exploitation Level 1 (Awareness Raising)Tues 19th January 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm Healthy Living Centre Bournville Estate

Calm KidsThurs 4th Feb 2016 9.30am-12.30pm The Campus North Worle.

Inter Agency Child Protection(Introduction)Thurs 11th Feb 9.30am-3pm. The Campus North Worle.

For a list of all courses please contact your social worker or go to CPD-online

Staffing News – Karen Owen has gone on maternity leave, so we welcome Jen Hickey to the business support team. Email:Jennifer.hickey@n-somerset.gov.uk

We are delighted to announce that Tess Price gave birth to a baby boy called Rudi. Congratulations from all of us at the fostering team.