The Thrive Approach for Foster Carers and Professionals
For fourteen days (1st-14th June), celebrities, politicians and key figures will take part in Foster Care Fortnight, a campaign delivered by The Fostering Network which aims to highlight the need for more foster carers across the UK.
There are currently 55,000 foster families across the UK although a further 8,370 are needed in 2015 to support the rising demand of children needing temporary homes.
Jan Banks, one of the Founding Directors of Thrive, said: "Children are born wanting to love and be loved. Foster carers want the same. Sadly, often children’s complex needs get in the way of the building of warm, loving and reciprocal relationships. Thankfully, many troubled and vulnerable children are cared for by warm, committed foster carers."
It is likely that children who are adopted or in long-term foster care will have experienced some degree of loss and trauma. The childrens' unique and often painful early experiences are likely to have left them with unmet social and emotional developmental needs. These needs can be expressed through behaviours that can challenge and confuse their new parents & carers.
The good news from Neuroscientists is that the human brain does not stop developing. Your relationship with your child is the place where significant changes can take place. You can help your child to grow a brain that is resilient, creative, and resourceful - and built to manage the stresses and challenges of life.
Would you like to know more about how to support your child to thrive?
Are you interested to know more about how your child’s emotional and social skills are developing?
You may be aware of some of the challenges in your child’s past - would you like to understand more about what you could do to help him or her to make the very best of their changed circumstances with you?
The Thrive Approach can help
Even if you do not know all the details of your child’s past; simple, practical suggestions can help to rebuild their stress management system and help them to make safe choices in their life now. With some additional guidance you can help them to settle and to feel they really matter and to make the best of their opportunities. Most of all you can get some ideas of how to have fun and really enjoy being together.
The Thrive Approach with the assistance of Thrive-Online will enable you to gain a better understanding of your child’s behaviour and what that behaviour means. By answering a number of simple questions you will be able to check how they are doing in terms of their emotional development.
Thrive courses for those involved in Fostering
Foster Carers wishing to gain a deeper understanding of how to manage the special challenges, joys and difficulties presented by adopted and fostered children can attend a 3 day course.
Professionals working with long-term Foster Carers and Adopters can attend a 7 day licensed advisor course.
School staff who are already Licensed Practitioners can attend a 1 day CPD to expand their understanding of the emotional turbulence of children living apart from their birth families.
To find out more about the courses above and all courses Thrive offer click here