Advice

Providing long term foster care to a child is often foster applicant's ideal scenario and central to their motivation to foster, with long term fostering depicted as the most rewarding type of care for both the child and the foster carer. Long term foster care involves a child being cared for in their foster placement for a number of years and often up to and beyond their eighteenth birthday– allowing foster children to build long-lasting and stable relationships over time. However, children are rarely received

Never mind Christmas – for lots of children, Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year. As a holiday, it has it all – a week off school, free treats, spooky costumes, a festive reason to scare your parents out of their skin... the list goes on. This year, however, things are a little different. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, Halloween can seem in danger of outright cancellation. What’s Oiche Samhain without trick-or-treating? If you’re worried about celebrating Halloween with your foster child,

Keeping fit is important. Getting regular exercise helps you stay healthy, both physically and mentally. We all understand the benefits of staying in shape as we get older – but the same applies to kids, too. Children need regular exercise to burn energy and to ensure they grow into healthy adults. Finding the motivation to get out and exercise with your foster child can be tough, but we’re here to help. Read on to find out our four tips and tricks for keeping fit with

Food, glorious food – there’s nothing quite like it to bring a family together. Eating healthily and nutritiously is an essential part of life. As Virginia Woolf said: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” At Orchard Fostering, we recognise the importance of ensuring your foster child is eating well – and we also acknowledge how difficult it can be to make this happen. While food may seem a simple pleasure, the conversation around nutrition and healthy eating

At Orchard Fostering, we’re committed to building brighter futures for all children. Every foster child brings with them unique challenges that you, as a foster carer, can help them manage or overcome.  When children come in to foster care they come with their own unique needs. Sometimes these may include more complex needs or disabilities. Read on to find out more about fostering children with disabilities or additional needs, and how Orchard Fostering can assist you on your fostering journey.  What is fostering a child

One of the questions we’re asked most frequently by prospective foster carers is “can I work and foster at the same time?” The short answer is yes, you can - with some stipulations. Read on, and we’ll get into everything you need to know about working while fostering.  What are the rules?  Before we get into the hows and whys of working while fostering, it’s a good idea to get a grasp of the basic rules and regulations around it. The best way to break