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“Money management tips for foster carers to share with their children”

Money money money!

A word that many of us find scary, even as adults. However, teaching a young person the importance of money management is a lesson that can benefit them hugely as they enter into adulthood.

Although the discussion of money is one that many tend to shy away from, it doesn’t have to be a scary conversation. We have compiled some money management tips for our foster carers that you can share with your young person to help them achieve financial success.

• Transparency – Be open and honest when having conversations about money to normalise the discussion of money. Being less secretive about finances helps your young person learn about money. Understanding the concept of what comes in and what goes out, how you manage your money and what your relationship with money is like ensures that conversations about money don’t have to be uncomfortable.

• Open a bank account – This will create a great sense of independence. Having the responsibility and trust to manage your own money, leads to better decision making about money. By having ownership of what comes in and out of their bank account, they will begin to understand the value of money.

• Pay your way – Yes! You heard correctly, let your young person pay their way. Allowing your young person to have some sort of financial responsibilities from a young age means that they will have a better understanding of how to manage their money. It could be something as simple as being responsible for buying the milk in the house, or paying the Netflix subscription. This allows them to feel like they are contributing and ensures that they budget their income accordingly.

• Teach the concept of saving money and budgeting – Having a budget and savings plan can help your young person to stay on top of their finances. Learning the art of budgeting and saving means that they will always be prepared for unplanned expenses or be able to save for things that they really want, such as a holiday or car.

By incorporating these theories into your young person’s everyday life, they will be on the right track to having a healthy relationship with money that will benefit them in their adult years.

We’ve also shared some more useful articles below:

Money money money!

A word that many of us find scary, even as adults. However, teaching a young person the importance of money management is a lesson that can benefit them hugely as they enter into adulthood.

Although the discussion of money is one that many tend to shy away from, it doesn’t have to be a scary conversation. We have compiled some money management tips for our foster carers that you can share with your young person to help them achieve financial success.

• Transparency – Be open and honest when having conversations about money to normalise the discussion of money. Being less secretive about finances helps your young person learn about money. Understanding the concept of what comes in and what goes out, how you manage your money and what your relationship with money is like ensures that conversations about money don’t have to be uncomfortable.

• Open a bank account – This will create a great sense of independence. Having the responsibility and trust to manage your own money, leads to better decision making about money. By having ownership of what comes in and out of their bank account, they will begin to understand the value of money.

• Pay your way – Yes! You heard correctly, let your young person pay their way. Allowing your young person to have some sort of financial responsibilities from a young age means that they will have a better understanding of how to manage their money. It could be something as simple as being responsible for buying the milk in the house, or paying the Netflix subscription. This allows them to feel like they are contributing and ensures that they budget their income accordingly.

• Teach the concept of saving money and budgeting – Having a budget and savings plan can help your young person to stay on top of their finances. Learning the art of budgeting and saving means that they will always be prepared for unplanned expenses or be able to save for things that they really want, such as a holiday or car.

By incorporating these theories into your young person’s everyday life, they will be on the right track to having a healthy relationship with money that will benefit them in their adult years.

We’ve also shared some more useful articles below:

• https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/you-your-kids-and-money
• https://windgatewealth.com/six-ways-to-teach-your-kids-about-saving-money/

Connecting with young people in foster care

 

If you speak to some of the most successful people in the world, there is probably one thing that they all have in common – a mentor.

A mentor is someone that is able to guide you, advise you, teach you and support you in reaching your goals. These are the reasons why Ascent has a mentoring scheme in place for our looked after children and young people. As we mentioned in our previous blog, ‘it takes a village’ and having a neutral figure to encourage and empower young people in their personal development can have an abundance of benefits.

Here at Ascent, we see a mentor as someone who can focus solely on helping a young person’s development. A foster child usually has so many different adult figures in their life who serve different purposes and a mentor can be someone who can offer a safe, informal environment to let a young person share their goals and visions with, whilst taking part in fun activities.

Our Mentoring team closely works together with the young people to provide guidance and support. Helping with day-to-day life activities, such as exams, finding a first job, connecting with grassroots organisations within the community in South London and offering useful tips and advice to young people to help them succeed in life.

The Ascent mentoring team works as the gap between the young person and foster carer, allowing the young people to have their voices heard, the purpose of the relationship is to give them an outlet.

Want to meet our mentoring team, watch the video below.

https://vimeo.com/434760112

Would you like to learn more about what it means to be a foster carer at Ascent. Click here.

We meet many people who would love to foster children and young people but some worry they can’t do it full-time. This may be because of their career, lifestyle, or other commitments that make full-time fostering difficult.

The great thing about fostering placements is that they are designed to meet the needs of both the foster carer and the young person. There are several types of foster care, giving you plenty of choice to find the arrangement that feels right for you.

 

What is respite fostering care?

 

Alongside long term, short term and emergency placements, there is respite care. Respite care is largely short term foster placements ranging from a weekend, school holidays or sometimes a few weeks. It is not like full time carers. The main aim of respite care is to provide support and stability to a child that is currently placed with a foster family. 

The main purpose of respite care is to give foster families, foster children or birth parents a short break to rest and recharge. Sometimes respite is also needed when a child cannot be included in a foster family’s travel plans.

 

Is Respite Care Right for Me?

You may want to foster, but your current situation might make full-time fostering difficult. You may work, have family commitments, or feel unsure about taking on a long-term placement straight away.

You might also be new to fostering and want to build your confidence first. In this case, respite fostering can be a good place to start. It allows you to care for children and young people for short periods, while still making a real difference.

At Ascent Fostering, we understand how important stability is for children. A safe and steady routine can support their long-term development and wellbeing.

We also know that foster carers and families need support too. Respite care gives main carers time to rest, recharge, or manage other commitments. This helps them continue giving children the care they need.

As a respite carer, you can enrich a child’s life on a short-term basis. You also become part of a wider support network that helps children, families and foster carers feel supported.

 

How Respite Fostering Works

Respite fostering gives children and young people short-term care in a safe and welcoming home. Placements are usually planned in advance. They may last for a weekend, part of a school holiday, or a few weeks.

Before the placement starts, you will receive information about the child. This may include their routine, likes and dislikes, health needs, behaviour, and any extra support they may need.

This helps you prepare and gives the child a smoother experience when they come to stay.

After the respite period, the child returns to their usual carers. During the whole process, the Ascent Fostering team will be there to guide and support you.

We work closely with you to help make each respite placement positive, calm and successful.

 

How do I become a respite foster carer?

To become a respite foster carer, the same fostering requirements still apply – must have a spare bedroom, be over 21 and have some financial stability. You can read our post to learn more about who can become a respite carer.

If you’re interested in respite care, or any other type of fostering, it’s definitely time to start your life-changing journey as a foster carer. Get in touch with us for an informal chat to learn more. 

 

Having community is what brings people together and unites them, but most importantly, having community means that you always have a helping hand.

We believe that it is important to build community wherever you go and at Ascent we want to be rooted in community. One great thing about community is that it can extend far and wide and you are able to reach people further than your doorstep.

We want to share our community with you, and so have created the ‘Ascent in the Community’ blog series. The aim of the series is to showcase our community and the amazing things that they do. It will be a window into some of the fantastic people, charities, businesses and schemes that Ascent are lucky to be connected to.

To begin the series, we have the Sierra Leone UK Social Workers Association (SLUKSWA). This is an organisation that our social worker, Remi is a part of and we had the opportunity to support them with their first project last Christmas.

Donations from the wider community were distributed to children and families who live in one of the most impoverished and deprived areas of Sierra Leone, West Africa.  They had experienced flash flooding which caused the destruction of homes, loss of personal belongings and claimed lives. Bags of rice, along with the numerous toys, clothes, kitchenware, bedding and other items were received with great appreciation by a number of children and elders that had been hard hit by the flooding in the Kroo Bay area of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The densely populated slum area of Kroo Bay is located at the bottom of a hilly part of Freetown and houses some of the poorest and most vulnerable members of Freetown’s society. We reached out to our network to collect donations and the response we received was overwhelming.

It was a pleasure to hear from SLUKSWA:

“On behalf of SLUKSWA, I wish to say a very big thank you for the donations received from yourselves. They were far greater than expected and no doubt will have provided some relief to those in receipt.  Once again, many thanks for your contribution to a worthy cause and for giving selflessly.“

If you would like to learn more about the Sierra Leone UK Social Workers Association or see how you can support them with their fantastic work. Please get in touch by emailing: secretary.slukswa@gmail.com.

To find out more about Ascent Fostering and becoming a foster carer with us, get in touch with our friendly team today.

It may seem like we’ve been very quiet over the last few months, but that’s because we’ve had a lot going on behind the scenes.

So we thought we would use this blog to share all that’s been going on at Ascent over the last few months. 

Brand new look!

You may have noticed that we have had a bit of a makeover recently. We think change is a good thing and after 6 years we thought why not!

Our brand new logo and colourways were designed by Jelani Pomell our resident guru for all things design and creative. This was complemented by some new imagery that we have used for our new marketing collateral.

Wandsworth Council Award

We were absolutely thrilled to receive the Wandsworth Council award for ‘Resilience and Placement Stability’. This is another testament to our fantastic team and all of their hard work! This award means a lot to Ascent because we focus on working with children and young people with difficult backgrounds and complex needs and it’s great that our team and carers have been recognised for this.

Come Dine with Ascent

If you follow us on Twitter and Facebook, you would have seen that the Ascent team have been cooking it up in the kitchen. Every fortnight a member of the team cooks up something special for the team to sample. So far we’ve had a Lebanese feast, apple and blackberry crumble with custard, Jerk chicken with special rice and coleslaw, Ice Cream and Sorbet, Banana cake

Come Dine with Ascent has unearthed some secret Nigella’s and Jamie Oliviers , stay tuned to find out what’s next on the menu.

Carer of the Month

In November we celebrated Nikki Best for unconditionally accepting the emotional needs of her young person. She has been a strong advocate for her young person which has led to a greater understanding and communication at school. She also wholeheartedly embraces the therapeutic training and implements what she has learnt with her young person.

Thank you Nicky! We really appreciate you

Carer of the month celebrates and recognises a carer/s who have gone above and beyond to be the best foster carer. We understand that being a foster carer is not the easiest job and when we see a carer exceeding their role we think that it’s important to honour them and give them the spotlight.

Carer’s Day Out

Our foster carers mean a lot to us, without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. It’s important for us to show them how much we appreciate them.

So we took the Ascent Lads on a go-karting trip followed by a spot of lunch. It was definitely a nail biting race (eat your hearts out Formula One). The final winners were:

1st place – Kevin

2nd place – Mark H

3rd place – James

There’s nothing like some healthy competition for some team bonding.

Of course we couldn’t forget our wonderful Ascent ladies who enjoyed the latest musical production ‘&Juliet’, a spin on the Shakespearean classic ‘Romeo & Juliet’ It was a great time for all the ladies to catch up, spend some time together and take some well deserved time off.

Nurturing. Attachment Training 

Over the past 18 months the Ascent team has undertaken Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Level 1 & 2 training. An element of this training is Nurturing Attachment which is a group work program to provide support and guidance to foster carers of children who have experienced trauma and attachment difficulties.

Sita and Nicky delivered the first of the Nurturing Attachment training to a number of our carers and received glowing reviews. The underpinning theme for our carers to take on board is PACE –  Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy.

Below are some comments from our evaluation feedback – Well done Sita and Nicky.

“The Course exceeded my expectations, very informative, catered for all learning styles”

“The PACE model in all its aspects is a very useful tool and I will continue to use it in my work with the children”

The Ascent Team is growing!

This year we welcomed Nicky Challen-Probert as our latest Supervising Social Worker, Nicky has got stuck straight in becoming an extremely valuable member of our team.

Also we can’t forget to give a shoutout to our new interns Maria Tinawi and Stefan Bubu from  Middlesex University who are doing 100 and 70 day placements. Maria and Stefan have been a great help to the team undertaking a number of tasks.

We are delighted that Margaret, William and Natasha  have joined the team as Foster Carers, they have been amazing and are great additions to the team.

This month we also welcomed back Laura Martin, who is returning to her role as Supervising Social worker after maternity leave and we are so happy to have her back.

As we begin 2020 it’s great to look back over 2019 and see everything that we’ve accomplished. This year is Ascent’s 7th birthday (can you believe it!). We cannot wait to see what’s in store. We have to take this moment to thank our fantastic team, every year they go above and beyond to make Ascent the agency that it is today and 2020 won’t be any different!

Our latest campaign asks the question ‘Is there room in your heart for one more?’ Fostering is so much more than taking a child into your home and providing them with the basic essentials. It can be a fulfilling journey for both you and the young person you look after. Fair enough, it doesn’t come without its challenges emotionally, mentally and physically but there’s a reason why many foster carers foster for decades.

Most of the time when we ask people to step forward to become foster carers, the focus is predominantly on the benefits for the young person and how it will change their life. Though in this partnership more than one life will be changed. There are countless reasons people may have that stop them taking that step to become a foster carer.  It can be a daunting experience stepping into the unknown, people have thoughts such as, ‘It could tear my family apart’, ‘Will I be a good foster carer?’, ‘It will be too much hard work’, ‘I won’t have a life’, ‘I don’t have enough experience’. Martin Luther King once said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step” and with fostering there couldn’t be a phrase more fitting. 

We can’t exactly tell you what fostering journey you’ll have, some days will be easy, some days will be hard, some days you’ll just want to give up and some days you’ll feel like you have the best job in the world. Something we can almost guarantee is that it will change you as a person and mostly for the better. If you speak to any foster carer they will tell you that through the challenges, and ups and downs, seeing a child who has not had the best start in life, open up their lives to you and begin to trust you is a feeling like no other.

Children and young people are such an important part of our society and we need amazing people with huge hearts to help nurture and build the next generation. Your life will be so greatly enriched and you’ll be able to see how you played such a huge role in transforming a young person’s life.

Fostering: Do you have room in your heart for one more?

Contact us now to chat to our team and find out if you are ready to start your fostering journey.

Exams – who doesn’t remember the nervous wait outside the gym hall, queuing up recounting a the last minute revision session on the bus that morning, clutching your pens and pencils ready sharpened and trying to ignore the nervous feeling in your stomach?

Exams are a pressured and anxious time for most of us, so Ascent is asking how we can best support our young people through one of the most pressured times of their academic lives? Here are some tips for our foster carer family. 

Tips for Carers: Don’t sweat the small stuff!

Consider the period before and during exams as an amnesty on issues that would typically cause some friction. Bedrooms may be slightly messier and chores may slack slightly. But this is okay.

By easing off some of the household duties during exam time, you’ll be giving your child more time and space to focus on exam revision. Once exams are out of the way, the temporary suspension can be lifted and things can go straight back to normal. After all, they will have all the summer holidays to make up for it!

Get involved

Let’s be honest, revision is not the most exciting activity and can actually be quite isolating. So why not help make it more interactive and fun. Test your child on their exam content by doing quiz games. You can be the quizmaster and they can be the contestant and you can follow the format of some popular quiz games on TV.

Why not switch roles too and you take the role as contestant, this can also help your child learn as they prompt you on the answers you may not know or by hearing the answers repeated again.

Know your child’s entire exam schedule

Pin a copy of the examination timetable on the kitchen notice board. You should also note the date and time of each paper. Make sure you are at all times aware when your child has to be in the examination centre.

Diet

Diet is extremely important during the exam season. The right food and drink can energise your system, improve your alertness and sustain you through long exam hours. On the other hand, the wrong dietary choices can make you feel sluggish and jittery. So making sure your child is eating regularly, healthily and drinking lots of water is very important. 

Take a break

We’ve all heard the saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. It’s important that your child or young person is taking breaks throughout studying. Not only does it allow them to refresh and charge up, but it helps them to feel relaxed through studying and gives them something to look forward to, to motivate them through studying.

Don’t overhype the importance of any examination

Make it clear to the children in your care that your love and regard for them is in no way dependent on how they perform in exams. This affirmation is the best gift you can give them.

For more information about becoming a foster carer with Ascent contact us today.