Advice

Can you feel it? The rhythmic bounce of a ball against a wall, the sharp scent of fresh-cut grass wafting in from the park, the percussive laughter of kids making the most of the stretch in the evenings. After the longest winter ever (we reckon it’s been eighteen months at least), summer is finally here – and with it, it brings hope. Hope for a post-lockdown life of summer leisure. Hope for a summer of fun activities. Hope for a summer unmarred by COVID-19 and

Deciding to foster a child is a big decision. Fostering impacts the life of a carer in a myriad of ways – and it also has a huge effect on the carer’s wider family and social circle. At Orchard Fostering, we understand the enormity of the decision to foster – and we understand how difficult it can be to begin to broach the topic with family and friends. To help you figure out how best to discuss your decision to foster with family and friends,

Access and reunification are two major topics of discussion among foster carers. As both revolve around birth families, they can sometimes cause worry or stress in foster carers. Fear not, however – we’ve compiled a complete guide to access and reunification below. Read on as Anne Marie, our referrals co-ordinator and administrator at Orchard Fostering, takes you through the nuts and bolts of access and reunification, answering all your questions about parental access and reunification in foster care. If you’re interested in foster care, please reach

At Orchard Fostering, we often receive queries from single people, wondering whether they are eligible to become a foster carer, or asking about the process of becoming a foster carer as a single person. We believe that the most important part of being a foster carer is your ability to care for and nurture a child. As such, we support all kinds of foster care – including single parent foster care. To shed some further light on the life of a single parent foster carer,

Equipping your foster child with the necessary skills to operate in the world is an essential part of being a foster parent – and one of the most daunting! It can be difficult to know where to start or whether you are doing the right thing. It can often feel like you’re just winging it – getting through the day, without imparting any “life skills” at all. Rest assured, it’s not just you – everyone feels like that. At Orchard Fostering “what life skills should

We love a good holiday at Orchard Fostering – and Easter is no different. Holidays are a great time to take a break and check in with yourself and your foster child. Easter offers this opportunity for connection and reflection more than most holidays – it’s not as pressurised as Christmas, but your foster child (if they’re of school-going age) will still have a lengthy break from their studies. In this article, we take a look at how to celebrate Easter with your foster child, offering