BFANI is on tour! In a series of episodes we shall be meeting families and fellow team members from across the UK fostering and adoption services as we explore, in depth, some of the specific experiences, highs, lows and challenges facing families who foster and adopt.

This time, we're in Scotland where we meet Carole, a foster carer who specialises in short term, temporary fostering.

Carole shares her journey from casually supporting a neighbour to becoming a short term foster carer. Carol shares her experiences of navigating the initial excitement of new foster children, transitioning them into structured routines, working with birth families and children from diverse cultural backgrounds - and sitting with uncertainty in a time of change for the children placed with her. Carole provides a heartfelt and insightful look into the day-to-day life of fostering. She opens up about the impact these transitions have had on her family, especially with the arrival of her grandchildren, offering a relatable and eye-opening perspective for anyone considering fostering.

Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To learn more about fostering and adoption in NI, visit our Linktr.ee:
https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email us at:
BFANI@barnardos.org.uk

Foster belonging with us!

Meet Barnardo's foster carers, Gillian and Megan, sisters in law who support each other on their fostering journey. Together, they shed light on how their families support each other and reflect on the vital role support networks play in fostering.

In this engaging conversation, we dive into the heart of blended foster families, a world where birth children, adopted kids, and foster children grow up together. Gillian and Megan share their strategies for nurturing strong bonds with their foster children and reflect on the importance of a reliable support network, particularly when it comes to understanding trauma and the ways it can present.

Join us for this inspiring discussion with two foster carers supporting their foster children within one big family.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

Parent and child fostering is a very specialised type of fostering.

Parent and child placements give parents, with new babies or very young children, the opportunity to develop their parenting skills and gain support from a specially trained foster carer. These placements can help keep families together.

In this episode, meet Laura a passionate advocate of parent and child fostering who began her fostering journey with Barnardo's in 2015. We're also joined by Ben from our team who gives us an insight into application process and the skills required. We delve into the depths of parent and child fostering support, highlighting the crucial role of fostering connections and building trust.

This episode is a treasure trove of insights, experiences, and advice for those interested in this life-changing journey. Be sure to tune in and get an inside look into the world of parent and child fostering.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

Did you know Barnardo’s Fostering & Adoption NI is just one of a small group of voluntary adoption agencies here in Northern Ireland?

In this very special panel discussion, to mark Adoption Week, Adoption Routes, Family Care Adoption Services and Barnardo’s Fostering & Adoption NI, got together to discuss what it is like to adopt via a voluntary agency, their assessment and matching processes and the kinds of support and post-adoption care you can expect.

The session was followed by a Q&A session.

Meet the Panel:

Lesley Delaney from Adoption Routes

Adoption Routes

Brian Downey from Family Care

Family Care Adoption

Hilary Armstrong from Barnardo’s Fostering & Adoption

Barnardo's Fostering & Adoption NI

Join us as we demystify the process and help you select the right voluntary adoption agency that serves your needs best.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

So you’re interested in fostering?

What happens after you make first contact?

What kinds of questions will you be asked? What can you expect? What kind of information will you be given? What is the assessment process like? What happens on a home visit?

Will you be expected to know what kind of fostering you want to do from the off? (And what if you don’t yet know?)

Who and what are the ‘Panel’? And what happens when you are invited in front of them?

And how long will this all take?

For someone new to the world of fostering it can all seem a bit daunting so let's ease those worries and make the unfamiliar, familiar. Join us, as we uncover the fostering assessment process with seasoned expert, Ben Rice, the practice manager at Bernardo's Fostering and Adoption in Northern Ireland.

In this compelling conversation, Ben enlightens us on the different types of foster care: emergency, short term, long term, and foster-to-adopt. He walks us through the four-session preparation course that potential foster carers and adopters undertake, highlighting the indispensable role of foster parents in the daily lives of the children. We unravel the critical issues such as age requirements, experience with children, convictions, and the importance of a secure and nurturing home environment.

Finally, we delve into the decision-making process post-assessment, shedding light on how the fostering panel and social worker's roles contribute. From assessing an applicant's comprehension of fostering to ensuring the entire family's support, we cover it all. So, buckle up as we navigate the timescales of the assessment process, discuss how to prepare for the panel's decision, and equip you for this life-altering adventure. Let's journey together, shaping futures one foster child at a time.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

ICYMI - revisit our online event where we chat with Helen Browne, head of the Barnardo's Fostering & Adoption service, and discuss working while fostering.

We also meet Tony and Aine who fostered a baby shortly after approval and, four years later, are in the process of adopting him. Tony & Aine continue to foster and reflect on being led by the individual needs of their child.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

Ness talks with Priscilla, former BFANI Operations Manager who spearheaded our new adoption service - and Rachel who talks about her experiences as a foster carer now going through the adoption process.

We also discuss fostering and adoption in NI, our integrated fostering-via-adoption service and why permanence doesn't always lead to adoption.

This is a recording from an online event last November, please follow us on Eventbrite and Facebook to learn more.

Together, we can change lives.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

A snippet from a series of interviews with families who long-term foster or have fostered-to-adopt within our service.

Over the coming months, we will be sharing insights into the world of fostering and adoption, sharing conversations with those who foster and adopt and meeting some of the team who support, match and work hard to find families for children in the NI care system.

Together, we can change lives.

To learn more about fostering and adoption with us, visit our Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni