Following on from last year’s success in delivering training workshops using carers’ support groups, we have continued with this programme.

Workshops will run for up to three hours from either 10am to 1pm, or 7pm to 10pm, and are being arranged by the fostering supervising social workers.

The locations for these workshops are likely to be:

• Barnstaple
• Exeter
• Ottery St. Mary
• Tavistock
• Teignmouth
• Abbotskerswell
• Willand (Family Care Worker’s Scheme)

Your Fostering Teams will let you know dates and topics once they have been finalised.

The range of topics covered by these workshops will be:

Health Matters – LAC Nurses

• Understand the foster carer’s role in promoting health care
• Understand the new process for health assessments
• Know who does what and where to go for information and advice about health issues
• Gain greater understanding of health issues which might affect children or young people.

Looked after children’s nurses can deliver workshop sessions in the following areas of health promotion; immunisation, asthma, bed-wetting, smoking, stress, healthy eating, preventing obesity, sexual health.

Early Years and Primary Education – Educational Psychology Team

• Child development
• Education for early years/primary children
• Helping children with reading and writing skills
• Helping children to master maths
• Making learning fun

Understanding Self-Harm - Lucy Hooper, CAMHS Placement Support Officer.

• What is Deliberate Self-Harm?
• Why do people Self-Harm?
• How to help:  Dos, Don’ts, and Alternatives
• Looking after yourself as a parent/carer/friend
• What to do if you think a young person needs support

Surviving Adolescence - Mel Nash, CAMHS Placement Support Officer.

• A brief view into the world of the adolescent
• Parenting skills useful in communicating with an adolescent
• Connecting, avoiding the bait, listening, encouraging
• Managing conflict, talking problems through, discipline, applying consequences

The 2002 Adoption and Children Act and its impact on planning for children – Jonathan Hepworth/Adoption Team.

Understanding Speech and Language Delay – Sally Proctor/Speech Therapists, Emily Payne-Cook (Exeter/Mid only)

Problem Solving – Brian Johnson, JACAT team.

Child Exploitation Online – an awareness-raising session from the Police Child Protection Team

Unfortunately we are not able to offer every workshop to each support group. However, we hope that by delivering more training locally more carers will be able to access the training programme.