The voice of the child is an important voice within Orchard Fostering
The young person’s thoughts, views and opinions on decisions and services that affect them are important to hear and support. That is why in early 2020 a young person’s ambassador board was set up by members of Orchard Fostering’s social care team, bringing four young people in foster care and four young people who are birth children of foster carers together.
These young people were between the ages of 8 and 17 years of age and became the voice and advocate for all young people involved with Orchard Fostering. They decided to call themselves ‘A Young Orchards Voice’
Since its establishment, a number of different young people have sat as members of this board and new board members are encouraged to join on an ongoing basis. Some of the members of the Young Person’s Ambassador Board have met with former TUSLA CEO Bernard Gloster, HIQA inspectors, EPIC and President Michael D. Higgins! The board have undertaken a number of important projects, creating three impressive booklets and making changes to some of Orchard Fostering internal policies that affect them and future children coming into the care of Orchard Fostering foster carers.
Placement Move Booklet
The first project completed by A Young Orchard’s Voice was the development of a placement move booklet. The young people highlighted that there is a need for more communication and information sharing with young people when they are coming into care, moving placement or their family is starting fostering and this is what led to the creation of the placement move booklet called ‘Getting To Know You’.
This booklet contains information about the family and home that they will be moving to and also has space for the young person to write what they would like the family to know about them. New policies within Orchard Fostering were then developed to implement and support this before being introduced to all of Orchard Fostering’s families in October 2020.
A Big Book of Little Words
The second project was a booklet from young people to other young people, to offer advice, support and guidance, as well as information around commonly used care words. This booklet provided an insight into personal experiences of the young people on the board around entering the care system and being in foster care as well as being part of a family who fosters. This booklet was launched online with an event that many young people, professionals and foster carers attended including the CEO of TUSLA and the Children’s Ombudsman on February 19th to coincide with Care Day 2021.
The young people have many more ideas and plans for future projects that they look forward to sharing.
Culture Booklet
A Young Orchard’s Voice decided that they would like to create a booklet about Culture to offer tips and suggestions from a young person’s perspective, to guide and support professionals and foster carer’s on how to ensure a young person’s Culture is embraced throughout their time in foster care.
In April 2023 they launched their booklet ‘We Care About Culture’ and this was a fantastic day of education and fun, attended by young people, foster carers and professionals on the day
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Orchard Fostering,
14 Joyce Way, New Nangor Road,
Park West Business Park, Dublin 12
D12 F9X8.
Phone: 01-627 5713
Email: info@orchardfostering.ie
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At Orchard Fostering, we know how crucial it is to create a nurturing environment for your foster child.
Here are some tips:
1. Respect Their Boundaries: Understand and respect their personal space and boundaries. Give them time to adjust and feel comfortable. 🛋️
2. Involve Them in Decisions: Empower your foster child by involving them in age-appropriate decisions, for example, choosing a meal or picking out clothes. 🥗👗
3. Create Family Traditions: Establish family traditions, like movie nights or board game days, to build a sense of belonging and create happy memories. 🎥🎲
4. Offer Emotional Support: Be there for them during tough times. Kind words can go a long way in showing your support. 🤗
#OrchardFostering #fostercare #safespace #fosterfamily
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Le Cheile support group sessions are specially designed for the amazing birth children in our fostering families.
These events provide a fantastic opportunity for them to connect with others who share similar experiences in a fun and supportive environment.
📅 Upcoming Session:
Kildare: August 15th, 12-2pm
Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity! Register today by emailing info@orchardfostering.ie.
#LeCheile #SupportGroup #FosterCare #OrchardFostering #Community #FamilySupport
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