Community and Support

They say it takes a village to raise a child and it's no different for our children and young people who are fostered or adopted. We offer a range of support, training and services to help you along this journey.

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• About the Team

  • Guernsey foster care and adoption is run by the Family Placement Service. We are a team of ten people consisting of senior social work practitioners, supervising social workers, a deputy manager and a team manager.  Our entire team is involved in the recruitment, assessment, training, support and supervision of all of our carers and adopters.  You will come into contact with different members of the team through training events, support groups and social events. We look forward to getting to know you and working alongside you!
     

• Skills to Foster Course

  • The Skills to Foster course gives prospective carers the opportunity to learn more about fostering and can help you make the decision about whether fostering is right for you and your family.  Over a series of sessions you will learn more about the reasons why children may need a placement, what the experience is like for a child, the responsibilities and rewards for carers.  It is led by social workers and current foster carers and there are plenty of opportunities for discussion and questions. The sessions are held over a series of evenings and sometimes at weekends and your attendance is mandatory.
     

• Preparation to Adopt Course

  • Preparation to Adopt courses are led by social workers experienced in adoption, alongside other professionals and experienced adopters, who will give you information about key issues in adoption. The course is held over 6 sessions, usually over three or four days and your attendance is mandatory.  This course can often help you decide whether adoption is the right fit for you and your family.  It also gives you an opportunity to discuss issues that you may not have thought about before and to ask any questions you may have.
     

• The Reparative Care Team

  • The Reparative Care Team consists of therapists, psychologists, social workers and therapeutic support workers and aims to look after the emotional wellbeing of children not living with their birth parents and those that have been affected by child sexual abuse.
     

    We understand that some children who do not live in the care of their birth parents may have had a difficult start in life and that that these early experiences can have long lasting effects on the child and their family. This team provides direct therapeutic services to Looked After and adopted children, their families and their carers to understand the emotional and psychological needs to support their recovery from developmental traumas. In addition to this the Reparative Care Team delivers the NSPCC 'Letting the Future In' therapeutic programme for any child in Guernsey who has experienced child sexual abuse.
    
    For more information about what the Reparative Care Team offer and how to access their service please visit their website here.

• What on-going training is provided after approval?

  • We appreciate how difficult it can be at times to provide care and undertake the parenting role for our children and young people who have experienced abuse and/or trauma in their lives.  This is why we intend to do our best to equip you with the right skills and knowledge to help you with this task.

    Each year we put out a Learning and Development Calendar for all of the on-going training and support we offer. For foster carers there will be some mandatory training you will need to attend however both foster carers and adopters will be able attend the wide range of training and online learning opportunities that we have available. This may include such topics as attachment, developmental trauma and therapeutic parenting. We also have regular support groups for foster carers, specialist foster carers and adopters.
    
    We are now introducing Personal Development Plans for foster carers and adopters to complete with their supervising social workers.  This will help you identify what learning and training needs you have and which opportunities will help meet these.

• The Guernsey Foster Care and Adoption Association (GFCAA)

  • The Guernsey Foster Care & Adoption Association is a registered charity that serves to:

  • - Inform and support foster carers, adoptive parents and prospective carers and adopters;
  • - Initiate training in response to the needs of carers and children;
  • - Provide fostered children and adopted children with experiences that they may not have had;
  • - Organise a range of social activities for fostering families and adoptive families so they can share their experiences and learn from one another;
  • - Co-lead support groups for foster carers and adoptive parents;
  • - Work closely with social services but remain independent and able to act as an advocate for carers if needed; and
  • - Provide toys and equipment for children with a range of special needs.
    
    All foster carers and adoptive parents are automatically members of the association if they want to be and there is no membership fee.
     

• Helpful links and Resources

  • Recommended book list for Fostering and adoption

     

    The Simple Guide to Child Trauma - Betsy de Thierry
    
    The Simple Guide to Attachment Difficulties in Children - Betsy de Thierry

    The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog - Bruce Perry

    Brain Based Parenting - Dan Hughes
    
    Building the Bonds of Attachment: awakening love in deeply troubled children - Dan Hughes

    The A-Z for Therapeutic Parenting- Sarah Naish
    
    Therapeutic Parenting Essentials - Sarah Naish
    
    Therapeutic Parenting in a Nutshell- Sarah Naish

    Nurturing Attachments: supporting children who are fostered and adopted - Kim Golding
    
    The Whole Brain Child- Dr Daniel J Siegel and Dr Tina Payne Bryson

    The Primal Wound: Understanding the adopted child - Nancy Verrier

    What to Expect When You're Adopting... A practical guide to the decisions and emotions involved in adoption -  Dr Ian Palmer

    Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today's Parents - Deborah D. Gray

    Real Parents, Real Children: Parenting the Adopted Child - Holly Van Gulden and Lisa Bartels-Rabb

    Adopting a Child- Jenifer Lord
    
    The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma - Bessel van der Kolk

    
    
    Please also take a look at the publications on the CoramBAAF website.