Tag Archives: foster carer

Key Assets Launches Disability Services For Young People In Western Australia

Key Assets is expanding its foster care provision in Western Australia with the upcoming launch of a new disability services program.

Key Assets disability services have been designed in partnership with young people, families and professionals to meet the complex and ordinary care needs of children and young people in Western Australia.

The disability services program aims to provide quality personal care services to children, young people and young adults with a disability between the age of 0 and 25. These services will enable young people to live ordinary lives, to experience independence and equality, and to access social and educational opportunities within the community.

Experienced Key Assets support staff will facilitate the implementation of the disability services, supporting individuals with a disability in the home and helping to provide accommodation solutions for young people who are unable to live with their birth families or are seeking alternative community housing.

Additional transition support from Key Assets in the form of alternative family care arrangements provide a stepping stone to independent living for individuals with disabilities who are approaching the age of independence. Areas of support during this time may include life skills and training and educational support, along with a range of other relevant key skills.

Liesel Olney, General Manager of Key Assets in Western Australia, said: “The new Key Assets disability services provide an exciting opportunity for development of a range of specialised services for people with disabilities as well as their families and carers. The new program will allow for Key Assets to develop services that are tailored to each service user’s needs in close consultation with that individual and their family. This will ensure the best outcomes and create more opportunities for independence and inclusion.

“This program also allows for children and young people in foster care with a disability to receive ongoing funding, accommodation and support from Key Assets after the age of 18, allowing for stability and consistency. Key Assets is now a registered provider for the Disability Services Commission (DSC) and work in close collaboration with the DSC, the Department for Child Protection (DCP) and other relevant disability community services.”

Key Assets will also work with the families of children and young people with disabilities to offer short break care for young people. This will allow families and carers to arrange holidays or take care of other responsibilities around the home.

Disability services from Key Assets will be accessible outside of working hours via a 24-hour phone line for advice and intervention. Key Assets also aims to offer each young person and their foster carer such additional benefits as advanced training and psycho-therapeutic support.

Via EPR Network
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FCA Promotes Fostering Within The LGB Community

Foster Care Associates (FCA), the UK’s largest Independent Fostering Agency (IFA), has launched a ‘Fostering with Pride’ initiative to promote fostering within the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) community.

In August 2011, FCA attended Brighton Pride to inform members of the LGB community about fostering and how to become a foster carer. FCA’s attendance at the event coincides with the publication of the new ‘Fostering with Pride’ leaflet, which focuses on encouraging LGB individuals and couples to foster with FCA.

FCA’s goal is to promote further LGB carer recruitment and communicate the message that sexual orientation is not a barrier to foster.

As an inclusive organisation, FCA ranked in the list of 2011 Stonewall Top Employers, which acknowledges the 100 most gay-friendly organisations in the UK. FCA is committed to working with Stonewall and various other LGB advocacy groups to promote diversity within the workplace and LGB foster carer recruitment initiatives.

Stuart Bray, Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator at FCA said: “I am tremendously proud of the work that FCA has undertaken to make it clear to the LGB communities that we encourage them to apply to become foster carers for the agency. We already have many wonderful LGB carers – singles and couples – and we are looking for more who have the ability to nurture a child and make them feel safe and part of a family.”

Stuart Bray added: “FCA has always been committed to Equality and Diversity. Taking the step to produce a leaflet targeting the LGB communities (‘Fostering with Pride’) is testament to the commitment of the company to champion the rights of LGB carers, young people and staff.”

The ‘Fostering with Pride’ leaflet was created to give prospective LGB carers an insight into what to expect when fostering with FCA. It was written to appeal to the LGB community who may be unsure about fostering due to prejudice or stigma. The leaflet highlights the fact that FCA is committed to recruiting foster carers from all strands of diversity.

The LGB campaign forms part of FCA’s ongoing carer recruitment initiative as the agency bids to address the shortfall of 10,000 foster carers in the UK.

Fostering People Targets Foster Carer Recruitment During Foster Care Fortnight 2011

Fostering People will be holding a range of open days during Foster Care Fortnight 2011 to complement the agency’s ongoing foster carer recruitment campaign.

The Independent Fostering Agency, based in Nottingham, East Midlands, will stage the open days at its Head Office on Pavilion Road, Nottingham during the two weeks of Foster Care Fortnight 2011 (16th to 29th May 2011). The open days are being held on 18th and 25th May 2011. They will complement the agency’s existing and ongoing carer recruitment activities across the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North West and the North East of England.

Fostering People open days provide an opportunity for existing foster carers to share their experiences and for prospective foster carers to ask Fostering People staff and former carers about fostering and what’s entailed in becoming a foster carer. Tea and coffee will be served as attendees take the opportunity to read through Fostering People’s literature and discuss their fostering ambitions.

Foster Care Fortnight 2011, an initiative from the Fostering Network, will work under the theme of ‘time to care’. It is expected to provide Fostering People with a boost in applications from prospective foster carers through such initiatives as these information events and through an increased level of traffic to the organisation’s carer recruitment website. Foster Care Fortnight 2011 is expected to perform a vital role in raising awareness of fostering and addressing the shortfall of up to 10,000 foster carers across the UK.

Melissa Miller, Marketing Officer at Fostering People, describes the importance of Foster Care Fortnight 2011 in the agency’s ongoing foster carer recruitment campaign: “On an annual basis, Foster Care Fortnight really helps to raise awareness of the need for foster carers across the UK.

Via EPR Network
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