As part of our ongoing commitment to go that extra mile for our children and young people we are always asking for feedback. We ask social workers to provide us with comments on our staff, our communication and the quality of our foster carers. We ask the foster carers to be honest about the training and support packages we provide, and what we can do to improve. We ask the young people and children what they think about the care they receive and what can be done to make it better.

Three key words emerged from feedback we received this past year. Safe, secure and supported.

Safe

Adjective

protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not likely to be harmed or lost.

A huge part of what we strive to do is about making children not just safe but to feel safe. It is important for us to provide an emotional safe place. It is the “knowing” of what we’re feeling; the ability to be able to identify our feelings and then take the ultimate risk of feeling them.

Secure

Adjective

fixed or fastened so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost. verb certain to remain safe and unthreatened.

For many children, Experiences of separation or neglectful or abusive parenting will cause children to remain anxious and to distrust close relationships. We need to change these expectations in the new environments of a foster family , by providing a secure base with positive relationships.

Supported

To keep from weakening or failing; give confidence or comfort to: To bear the weight of, To aid the cause, policy, or interests of, To have an enthusiastic interest in

Our Social workers feel supported, our foster carers feel supported, the local authorities feel supported, as do the schools we deal with and, more importantly so do our children and young people. We meet the challenges we face together and that is why those three words that recur in our feedback time and time again. Words that are so important to us because they mean we are building the foundations to make a real difference to young peoples lives, and fulfilling our aim of helping them reach their potential.