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 different, but there are some common reasons that are characteristic of Parent and Child placements. For some, what is mostly required by a parent is guidance and advice connected to the care of their infant. This can cover areas that are seemingly straightforward but need to be established as ongoing routines. These include. How to change a baby’s nappy; Feeding a baby; Assisting a baby to sleep; Soothing a cr ..read more

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 considerable past accomplishments of Rainbow over a quarter of a century. Throughout the year, the series will examine the ideas and motivations of individuals that are currently having, or have the potential to transform the way we look at how children are raised. And that means all children, not just those who are being fostered. But, since children who come into foster care can be disadvantaged in many different wa ..read more

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, will be pushing the boundaries. This can create contradictory feelings: one minute they embrace feelings of liberation from perceived parental authority to be quickly tempered by apprehension, insecurity, and self-doubt. The path to adulthood is not a smooth transition for any of us. Feelings of insecurity can be supplanted by overconfidence in a matter of minutes. All quite natural. It does, of course, mak ..read more

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 Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) month. Campaigns are running to build awareness of the risks and consequences of exposing the unborn child to alcohol. Fostering is all about supporting disadvantaged children and young people. Helping them to recover from whatever adverse experiences they have undergone prior to coming into care. Sadly, there are many kinds of negative experiences that have the potential to impa ..read more

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 decline in the happiness of this country’s children. A range of different factors has been found to be contributing to a situation that should be of concern to everyone. Events of recent years, notably the coronavirus pandemic have had a major impact. Social pressures – exacerbated by social media – continue to impact children’s happiness. There has to be a recognition that the very nature of childhood has changed out of all re ..read more

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 it seems a long time ago now. We’re your average West Indian family living in South London. Over the years we have had a variety of placements, and we remember them all. Some were particularly challenging but the support from Rainbow was always brilliant. They helped us to see that when placements were difficult, the experience was adding to our knowledge and fostering skills. That really gave us an encouraging pers ..read more

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 social media campaign aimed at supporting the drive to increase knowledge of this often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed disorder. And most importantly of all, the risks to a foetus of consuming alcohol. Very simply, there is no safe limit. Our campaign ‘Thinking Not Drinking’ emphasizes this stark fact  and has resonated with a great many of our followers on social media: over 6,400 on Twitter alone. Although t ..read more

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 children in the care system, is well known to all involved in fostering. The Children’s Society has released a report revealing the damage that has, and continues to be done to our children’s wellbeing. This blog series will be looking in detail at what is vital to us all: the health, happiness and wellbeing of our children.  Background. Foster carers, parents – in fact everyone in society – have to reco ..read more

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 experience of foster carers and fostering more generally.  Every September Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is marked throughout the month. This is to spread awareness of the damaging effects of unborn children being exposed to alcohol. It is extremely important that parents and foster carers appreciate FASD will have life lasting effects. These can vary in terms of severity. All children will be affecte ..read more

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 life. It is of course a time of great excitement and change. Our earlier blog series gives tips and advice about preparing in the weeks before leaving for university. This begins at – https://rainbowfostering.co.uk/foster-care-and-supporting-college-life-1/ The actual day of departing is a significant step toward independence and adult life. It is important in all the hub bub to remember that young people will need ..read more