Foster carers from across the Borders have been thanked for all their hard work and dedication to children and young people in care.
The acknowledgement was given at this year’s Foster Care Conference at Tweed Horizons near St Boswells, which had over 60 attendees.
An important focus for the day was The Promise, Scotland’s national commitment to care experienced children and young people launched in 2020 following the outcome of the Independent Care Review.
Keynote speakers were Thomas Carlton (Implementation Lead) and Louise Whitelock (Delivery Partner) from The Promise Scotland who considered the theme of Happy Minds, Happy Homes and reflected on how keeping The Promise was intended to improve the wellbeing of both those receiving and providing care.
In addition, carers with five, ten, fifteen and over twenty years’ service were presented with a certificate in recognition of their ongoing support for children and young people.
Angela and Stephen O’Callaghan, foster carers for the past 12 years
“Today's conference was a wonderful opportunity to get together with fellow foster carers and other agencies. It was also good to hear the background and philosophy behind The Promise. This year’s theme of Happy Minds, Happy Homes is what we believe is at the heart of what foster carers strive to do every day.
"The event also highlighted the importance of working together, being a workforce and above all ensuring our children and young people remain at the very centre of every decision and action we make. The well organised workshops provided interesting and informative sessions, adding to what was overall, a very enjoyable day.”
Councillor Carol Hamilton, Executive Member for Developing our Children and Young People
“I’m delighted that this year’s conference was able to go ahead following a break due to Covid-19. Our fostering community cannot be thanked enough for everything they do every day for our children and young people and after the events of the past few years, it feels especially important that the opportunity was taken for that to be done in person.
“Thanks also go to the keynote speakers for being able to attend and share such valuable insights and information with the group. Our work to #KeepThePromise is ongoing and we remain fully committed to the principles of making sure our children and young people are given every opportunity to grow up loved, safe, respected and able to reach their full potential.
“As always, we are keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in joining our much valued team of foster carers which Roddy and his family are an integral part of. We would encourage anyone who thinks they could join them, and our other carers, to contact us to find out more.
“Remember, foster carers come from all walks of life and are provided with full training. What you do need is to have an understanding of looking after or working with children and be able to provide positive parenting with compassion and understanding. Being patient and having the ability to listen to and communicate with young people are also important qualities. If you think you’ve got what it takes to become part of our fostering community, get in touch.”
Get in touch with the team
You can speak to the Family Placement Team on 01896 662799 or find out more on the Fostering pages of our website.
You can also keep up to date with the latest fostering and adoption news through the team’s Facebook page.
More information
- Images from the conference are available to download from our Flickr page.
- More information about The Promise Scotland is available on their website.