Drive to find and support people who ‘privately foster’

Bradford Council is marking Private Fostering Week, which runs from 3 to 7 July, by reminding people to get in touch if they think a child is living with someone other than their parents or a close relative.

Private fostering is where a child lives with someone who is not their parent or a close relative, for longer than 28 days. This can be for a number of reasons including if the child’s parents are abroad or unwell, or if there are difficulties in the family.

Private foster care can be a very positive experience; however, the council needs to know about children and young people in these types of arrangements as they are potentially vulnerable as they are not living with their parents.

Bradford Council is particularly asking people who work with children to be aware of private fostering and to notify the council.

The council has produced a short film about private fostering that can be viewed here.  Messages are also being sent out in to the Polish, Slovakian and Czech communities through social media posts.

Coun Val Slater, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “If you look after someone else’s child, or know of someone who does, we’re encouraging you to contact us.

“Ensuring all children are safe is a priority. Everyone should know what private fostering is and what you need to do if you think a child is living in this arrangement.”

People can contact Children’s Services on 01274 437500 or find out more at:

http://www.bradford.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/private-fostering/private-fostering/

More information about the national campaign is available at:

http://www.privatefostering.org.uk/

Notes

A private fostering arrangement is essentially one that is made without the direct involvement of a Local Authority for the care of a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) by someone other than a parent or close relative for 28 days or more.

A close relative is defined as “a grandparent, brother, sister, aunt or uncle (whether a full or half relative or by marriage or civil partnership) or step-parent.

Privately fostered children are a diverse and sometimes vulnerable group, which includes:

• children sent from abroad to stay with another family, usually to improve their educational opportunities

• teenagers who, having fallen out with their parents, are staying in short-term arrangements with friends or other non-relatives

• language students living with host families

District looks to develop its Early Help arrangements for families

Bradford Council plans to work with agencies across the District to extend ways in which it can provide Early Help for families who are in the greatest need of support.

Early Help is a way of giving families the support they need as quickly as possible when problems emerge. It means services working together to find solutions to small problems before they become big ones.

By taking this approach, the Council and its partners are able to:
• Provide the right help for those who need it most.
• Help families to help themselves where this is possible.
• Make sure limited resources are used in the best way possible.

The Early Help approach has already been developed for some services. The new proposals would look to extend this for a wider range of services for families and children and young people. This would include maternal health, parenting support, and early education take-up and ensuring young people have positive things to do. It would also look to tackle problem areas such as parental mental ill health, domestic violence and substance misuse

The proposals would look to bring different services closer together to improve information sharing and reduce duplication. This would provide clearer access to families most in need and would help them get more effective support. It would do this by:
• Improving how we deliver help so we can stop families getting stuck and help them make clear progress towards improved lives.
• Improving family support by making it clear what help is available.
• Making it easier for families to find services so they only have to tell their story once.
• Building on the Council’s Families First approach so we have one family, one plan and one key worker so we help families to receive the right support at the right time.
• Finding more ways to help families and communities help themselves.

The new model will look to deliver services more locally across a number of ‘clusters’. This is an approach that is already in place for some services such as children’s centres.

The Council plans to engage with families, partner organisations and staff over the summer about the best ways to deliver services before a more formal consultation on proposals takes place in the autumn.

Coun Val Slater, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “There are many families across our district who need help and support. Demand for this help is growing at a time when funding is reducing. This means we will need to do things differently in the future if we are to deliver the services that our communities need.

“These proposals will look at how all the agencies who deliver services can work together to provide better targeted help at the earliest opportunity when problems first emerge in a person’s life. This can offer better outcomes for children and families and can also help us avoid expensive care at a later stage. We want to talk to families and providers about the best ways we can deliver services.”

World Boxing Council Boxer, Fes Batista visits Russell Hall Primary School to promote his fight against bullying

Fes Batista visited the school during the weekly celebration assembly to talk to the children about anti-bullying. Batista is an anti-bullying activist who trains and lives in the United States of America.

The young boxer who was born in Huddersfield moved his career to the states and begun making a splash in the world of boxing. Batista, when not training, spends the rest of his time working and promoting the World Boxing Council’s Anti-Bullying programme.

Batista is no stranger to Russell Hall Primary as he has visited the school before to speak on the issue of bullying. He told the children boxing turned his life around after he had experienced being bullied when he was young.

The assembly included an anti-bullying song that was sung by three of Russell Hall’s students. Fes Batista then ended the assembly by donating his famous shades.

Deputy Headteacher, Heidi Higgs said:

“It was great to have Fes Batista come and talk to the children about bullying.

“Fes has worked with the school for several years and has helped to ensure that the anti-bullying culture remains high profile at Russell Hall.” 

Follow Russell Hall Primary on Twitter: @russellhallps

‘You Can Foster’ campaign launched

A new fostering campaign for the North of England in 2017 is launched during Foster Care Fortnight which started this week.

‘You Can Foster’ has so far helped create more than 1,000 enquiries from prospective foster carers.

Foster children have hopes and dreams too – help make them a reality.

This year potential foster carers will be able to meet experienced carers at ‘open house’ sessions at key family-friendly spots across Yorkshire.

Events will be held in the Bradford district.

Event dates :-
• Saltaire local produce market – Saturday, 13 May
• Bradford City Cycle event – Sunday, 14 May
• Information Meeting at Margaret McMillan Tower, Bradford at 6pm on Wednesday, 17 May

David Byrom, Bradford Council’s Head of Through care and Resources, said: “Foster carers are great ambassadors and we hope that by having them talk to potential carers they can encourage more people to take up fostering. There are a number of myths around fostering which are stopping people engaging; people thinking they’re too old, that they won’t get the support they need, that their sexuality makes a difference to their chances of fostering. We are saying, “Come on down and meet carers like you who can tell you what it’s really like to foster.”
Fostering is looking after a child or young person who can’t live with their own family. There are a number of reasons they might not be able to live with their family and it can be a very difficult time for the child so they’ll needs lots of support and care. There are around 8255 households across the North of England who foster for their local authority.
Across Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside there are around 11,525 children living in foster care.

Local Authorities particularly need to recruit foster carers for certain groups of children including:
• Brothers and sisters
• Older children and young people
• Children from black and ethnic minority backgrounds
• Children that will be in foster care long term
• Children who need more specialist care

For more information please visit: http://youcanfoster.org/

 

You may have heard a lot about the 30 hours childcare but what is it?

The Government calls this entitlement 30 hours extended childcare. It is a Government scheme to provide childcare support for children aged 3 and 4 to help working parents from September 17. A child is eligible the term after their 3rd birthday.

Early education and childcare is a great way parents can help their child make new friends, learn new skills and have fun.

What is classed as a working parent?

Working parent means both parents have to be working (or sole parent in a lone parent family) & each parent/carer earns on average a weekly minimum wage equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) (for under 25 year olds) or national living wage (NLW) (if over 25 years old), and less than £100,000 per year. Even if you are on a zero hour contract you can apply for a place as long as you expect to be earning the above. A working parent can be self-employed and employed.

Foster carers are only eligible for the extended entitlement for their own children (if they meet the criteria). They are not eligible for children that they foster.

You are also eligible if both parents are employed but one or both parents is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave or statutory sick pay, the parent is employed and the other parent has substantial caring responsibilities based on specific benefits received for caring, or one parent is employed and one parent is disabled or incapacitated based on receipt of specific benefits

How do I apply for a place?

Parents and carers will be able to check whether they are eligible and apply online from summer 2017 through a national checker. As soon as the national checker is available we will ensure we get this information on here for you to apply.

To receive emails about the new childcare schemes please provide your email address to https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/childcare-schemes-interest/welcome.

Where can I access the extra 15 hours?

Eligible parents can access the additional hours for their child at participating Ofsted registered childcare providers, primary schools, independent schools or nursery schools. If your child is already attending a childcare provider (including out of school clubs and holiday providers) or a school nursery ask them if they will be offering places from September 2017.

The Local Authority is currently consulting with childcare providers, schools and nursery schools to see who will be offering places. Not all providers will be offering places as it isn’t compulsory for providers to offer the 30 hours extended entitlement.

Parents can access 30 hours during term time or fewer hours all year round and can use the additional hours at more than one childcare provider.

Parents who are not eligible for the additional 15 hours will still be able to apply for the universal entitlement of 15 hours of early education for 3 and 4 year olds and for 2 year olds if they are eligible.

Early Years Pupil Premium

Childcare providers and schools can claim up to £300 of additional funding for every eligible disadvantaged 3 and 4 year old child attending their setting for their free early education. This money will help provide activities and new equipment to benefit your child. Eligibility is based on the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment & Support Allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
• The Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided not also entitled to Working Tax Credit) with earnings from employment below £16,190
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Looked After Children
• Looked After Children who have left care through Child Arrangement Orders (formerly Special Guardianship) or an Adoption or Residence Order

Check your eligibility for the Early Years Pupil Premium now

 

Contact details

Families Information Service

Telephone helpline : 01274 437503 (8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday)
Urdu/Punjabi Helpline : 01274 431252 (8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Wednesday)
Polish/Slovak/Czech Helpline : 01274 434905 (9am to 3pm, Wednesday to Friday)
Mobile : Text ‘FIS’ to 07781472076 and we will call you back.
Email : fis@bradford.gov.uk

Yorkshire Ambulance Service support ‘Restart a Heart Day’ by offering free CPR training

Bradford Secondary School are being urged to sign-up for free CPR training.

The tuition is being offered by Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) staff and volunteers as part of ‘Restart a Heart Day’.

Youngsters are taught what to do if they come across someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest.

Over the past three years, more than 50,000 pupils at secondary schools across Yorkshire have taken part in the initiative.

Lizzie Jones, widow of tragic Keighley Cougars star Danny, died aged 29 after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match in May 2015, is an ambassador for the scheme.  Mrs Jones said:

“Restart a Heart Day is an incredible event and I am proud to be a part of something which has the potential to make a difference to so many lives,” she said.

“By teaching our children such a vital skill we are changing the future.

“I would encourage as many schools as possible to take part.”

Restart a Heart Day takes place on October 16, but the closing date for registration is April 7.

 

Pupils will also be invited to participate in a poster competition, with the winner receiving a defibrillator for their school.

YAS says that currently less than one in ten people in the UK survives a cardiac arrest.

In Norway, where CPR is taught in schools, the survival rate is 25 per cent.

“If we achieved the same rate an additional 100 lives a week could be saved,” said Restart a Heart Day organiser Jason Carlyon, clinical development manager with YAS.

“The event is becoming more successful every year and 2016 was the best yet, when we shared our concept with all UK ambulance trusts to support its roll-out nationally.”

To register, visit: restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk

Follow Yorkshire Ambulance Service on Twitter: @YorksAmbulance #RestartAHeart

Now is the time to foster

Bradford Council’s Fostering Service is appealing for people who can provide something very special to a teenager and child – a loving and secure family home that will allow them to flourish and thrive.

The Fostering Service is looking to find 30 new foster families to care for Bradford’s teenagers as they mark Foster Care Fortnight, a nationwide campaign run by the Fostering Network. This year’s campaign theme is ‘Time to foster, time to care’ which recognises that people take a long time to contact fostering services due to other commitments in their busy lives. But Bradford’s Fostering Service wants to get the message across that now is the right time to find out more about fostering.

They are looking for people who are skilled and experienced at working with or caring for teenagers; who are passionate about inspiring and supporting them and can provide them with a great family life.

Although teenagers are the focus of this campaign they are also looking for carers for:

*  Children aged five to 18.

*  Children with disabilities.

*  Large groups of brothers and sisters.

*  Part time foster carers to provide short breaks – regular overnight stays, weekend breaks, care during the school holidays and sometimes weekday care.

Foster carers receive a weekly fee based on how many children they care for and an allowance to cover costs.

People can be married, single, unmarried couples, gay or lesbian, have their own children, a homeowner or living in rented property – all are eligible.  All children are different so a wide range of people will meet their needs.  But all applicants need to be over 21 and have a spare room.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Children’s Services, said:  “We currently have a great network of foster carers but we always need more.  It is a challenge but a really worthwhile role that can have a real impact on a child’s life.”

Anyone wishing to find out more about becoming a foster carer can visit www.fosterbradford.co.uk contact the recruitment line on 01274 434331 or email adoptionandfostering@bradford.gov.uk

The fostering service is available for informal chats and advice over the next two weeks at:
•    Bingley town centre/ library Monday 23rd May 11.30am to 1.30pm
•    Keighley town hall Tuesday 24th May 11.30am to 1.30pm
•    Ilkley library Wednesday 25th May 11.30am to 1.30pm