Q&A about fostering with Chief Executive of Barnardo's, Anne Marie Carrie - ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

To tie in with Foster Care Fortnight, we're inviting you to send in your questions about fostering to Chief Executive of Barnardo's, Anne Marie Carrie.

Anne Marie Carrie has nearly forty years of experience working with some of the most vulnerable children across adoption and fostering, child protection, education, schools, and services for young people. She became Chief Executive of Barnardo's in January 2011. Send your questions to Anne before the end of Tuesday 15 May and we'll be linking to the archived Q&A on 24 May.

There is currently a worrying shortage of foster families across the UK, with at least 8,750 new foster families needing to be found this year. So during this year's Foster Care Fortnight (14-27 May) Barnardo's is urging more people to consider putting themselves forward as potential foster carers - particularly for children who wait longest for a family, such as siblings or disabled children.

Barnardo's is an authority on children in care and child protection based on over 100 years' of experience of finding families for children. The charity wants to hear from anybody who is interested in finding out more about fostering. They will provide training and support to potential foster carers, and do not exclude anyone from consideration on the grounds of sexual orientation, race, marital status, gender, disability or employment status. To find out more contact Barnardo's on 08000 277 280 or barnardos.org.uk/fosteringandadoption.

Hi MNHQ,
I'd be grateful if you would you tell me where I can find or where I will be able to find the answer to my question that I left in the thread for Anne Marie Carrie?

Hi Jessie - the Q&A's are Here

Please click here for answers to the Barnardo's Fostering Q&A.

I was a little disappointed in her answer to my question, under the "accommodation" section. I felt she could have been more open to the new ideas contained in the questions, considering fostering evidently needs a fresh approach in order to meet children's needs more successfully.

'However, it's very important that relatives are carefully assessed to ensure they will be able to sustain the level of care offered throughout the child's life - this is vital as many children in these situations will have already had to endure a great deal of instability and difficulty in their young lives'.

How patronizing.
We know that already.
Are Barnardos actually aware of the amount of FC placements a child can go through whilst in care?

I am very disapointed in this reply. It appears that Barnardos are not really behind KC.

I was disappointed in the replies. I felt as though I was handed a leaflet rather than engaged in discussion.

I feel the same Devora.
I didnt feel as if she acknowledge our experience.
We could have gone on the website to see that stuff.

Mrs DeVere - was about to post exactly the same thing! I felt like I was reading an advert for Barnados rather than a discussion on foster care.

Would be great if we could place questions like this to a government minister rather than an agency who (seemed) to be recruiting for new carers in a slightly new way.

I've been thinking more about why I feel slightly insulted (only very slightly, I can't say it's been keeping me awake at nights). And I think it's what MrsDV said about not acknowledging our experience. If she had read the thread properly, she'd surely have understood that most of the posters were already deeply invested in fostering and adoption. Some of us have spent years engaged with the system, caring for our adopted or fostered children etc. So we want conversation that's just at a slightly deeper level than if we were passers-by who airily lobbed in a top-of-the-head question and got handed a leaflet in response.

I'm sure someone from Barnardos Comms will read this at some point, so my advice to them is to do a little more work on their digital engagement stakeholder segmentation...

I am relieved its not just me (although not exactly pleased).

Yes, glad we've continued the conversation here with our remarkably similar feedback about the responses offered.

Personally I don't have much experience of fostering itself but I am professionally involved in work with young children.

Many of us on mumsnet are more than "just Mums" - As if there is such a thing!