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Meet Mason, a very special 12 year old who is the cousin of Pathway Care’s Liz Bartlett, Senior Assessment Practitioner at the Bromsgrove office. Mason was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy at just four months old, also suffers with epilepsy and is registered blind due to lack of oxygen at birth. Mason had been accepted to have a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) to help loosen his muscles, make him more comfortable and ease the difficulties of caring for him for his mum Amanda and her partner Andrew. Sadly, earlier this year, the family received the devastating news that funding for the operation had been cut by NHS England. Determined to make sure Mason has the operation he needs, Amanda and Andrew started to fundraise the £15,000 needed, organising events to contribute towards the costs of both the surgery and physiotherapy. The next fundraising event takes place on 20th July at Wilden Cricket Club in Kidderminster. Called a ‘Family Fun Day’, this will be a family focussed event, with lots of things for the whole family to enjoy, you may even get the chance to meet a meerkat up close. The Family Fun Day will start at 2pm and will also feature a DJ from 7pm. Pathway Care has provided a donation to Mason and will be following his journey every step of the way. You can follow the story via our Facebook page and via our twitter page. Also, if you would like to make a donation to Mason’s surgery, you can donate to his just giving page here.
We’re Rated Good to Outstanding I feel like part of the family – young person looked after by a Pathway Care foster carer. We’re celebrating a hugely successful Ofsted report in our Bromsgrove region. The inspection, which took place in early June, focused on: the overall effectiveness the quality of service the safeguarding of children and young people the leadership and management and the experiences progress and outcomes for children and young people and each category was rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by the inspectors. Catherine Rioda, Service Manager for the Bromsgrove region is delighted with the findings the inspectors noted that our highly trained and highly valued foster carers are extremely well supported by our staff which enables them to provide the best possible homes for fostered children and young people. We ensure our foster children aren’t stigmatised by the fact they are in care. In conjunction with their foster carers, they make day to day decisions about their own lives and, as one young person told the inspectors, I feel like part of the family. A comment like that gives us immense pride; we know that the young person is safe, secure and happy. The agency has, what the inspectors described as, a robust referral and matching process which ensures the needs of children and young people looking for a foster home are given full consideration as are those of the potential foster carer and their families. One of Pathway Care’s foster carers commented When I need support it’s always there. Pathway was with us all the way. Catherine is justifiably proud of her team: the ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted is a lovely reward for everyone involved with Pathway Care and reflects the continuing dedication, drive and commitment to delivering the very best quality services. A huge ‘thank you’ to all involved and we look forward to helping more children and young people achieve, enjoy and thrive as they should.
Congratulations to our Wales Regional Service Manager – Sharon Cavaliere for raising £600 after running the Cardiff Half Marathon. “My charity was Crossroads (SE Wales) Young Carers Project,” Sharon said, “basically the funding provides a youth club for those children aged 10-18 who care for their parents or siblings who are experiencing illness or a disability. It provides them with a break from the home and time with others in a similar position. The youth club provides them with the opportunity to discuss how they feel and learn more about their sibling/parent’s condition and focus on them and how they are coping with the situation at home. This charity is very personal to me.” On October 5th 2014 Sharon ran the Cardiff half marathon – all 13.1 miles – in an amazing 2 hours 46 minutes. “It was brutal, but I have to say it was an achievement. I ran the marathon with three of my best friends from school (who I have known for over 35 years!!) which made the event even more special. I have to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me, it is really going to a great cause. I also have to say a big thank you to all my staff across Wales who have constantly kept me motivated and kept up to date with my training programme!” For more information on the Crossroads Young Carers Project, click here.
Natalie Jane Macdonald, CEO of Acorn Care and Education helped to launch the report ‘Collaborating for Better Outcomes’ from The Children’s Services Taskforce. This is a joint publication from The Children’s Services Development Group and The Local Government Information Unit and was launched last week in the Houses of Parliament. The panel also included Steve McCabe MP, Shadow Minister for Education. To read the full report please click on the link below: Collaborating for Better Outcomes
This year our Bromsgrove staff, carers and children celebrated with a Christmas party at the Holiday Inn on Saturday 29th November. The day was a great success and we had an amazing turn out of approximately 150 children and carers. They had children’s entertainers who performed magic tricks, made model balloons for all the children, as well as face painting, much to the children’s delight! Bromsgrove Christmas Party 2014 Our foster carers and staff all joined in the fun and wore their Christmas jumpers and hats. A special thank you goes to Father Christmas for joining the party! The children all entered a Christmas card competition and the winner for the best card design went to Maddie (pictured below). Catherine Rioda (Regional Service Manager for Midlands), presented Maddie with her prize of a mug, certificate and a pack of Christmas cards.
Pathway Care has launched Foster15 to highlight that one child is taken into care every 15 minutes in England (six a day in Wales) and appeal for more foster carers to come forward. New statistics have shown that 30,430 children in England started to be looked after in 2014 (5756 in Wales)– a figure which is set to rise. Gareth Walton, operations director for Pathway Care, said: “There is a shortfall in foster carers which is only set to increase. There’s a lot of children and young people out there who desperately need a safe, nurturing and stable home. Carole and Bob Smith, live in Northfield, Birmingham and are foster carers with Pathway Care. Carole, 69, and Bob, 73, will celebrate their 30th anniversary as foster carers in 2015 and have given a home to over 100 foster children over the years. Carole said: “We started in foster care 30 years ago, long before Pathway Care was set up. We have three children of our own, two boys and a girl, who were teenagers at the time and Bob knew someone at the time who was a foster carer. We always wanted to have another child and in those days you just fostered one – so very different to being able to take on sibling groups nowadays which we’ve also done. We had a spare room and are a secure happy family – really we just wanted to help children who don’t have that and being placed with a secure, safe family is the best possible road for children who need help.” “Bob and I both love kids and have now given over 100 a home – some short term, some for a few years. We also provide emergency respite care for those in desperate need.” “To be a foster carer you have to have a sense of humour and be able to turn the other cheek – it is challenging as you are looking after children who have had no structure or routine, some have been in neglect situations and have never done things we’d take for granted, such as sitting at a table to eat a meal or having their own beds to sleep in. It’s hard work and it takes some doing – it can sometimes be two steps forward and one back – but it is so rewarding. You install confidence and self-esteem in children, put boundaries in place and when you see the change in children and that you can help to make a difference to their lives and help them be happy – that’s what makes it worth it.” “Being a foster caring family is also hugely beneficial to your own children. Our three are now in their 40s and are such wonderful parents themselves. They can remember kids coming to our house and it was incredibly humbling for them to see that not everyone is lucky enough to have parents who care for them and love them. Being part of a foster family helps you see the world in a very different way and these children are not to blame for anything which has happened to them in the past.” “We have been foster carers with Pathway Care for ten years and were in its first group of foster carers. The support has been fantastic and we have a strong network around us – it’s there 24/7 and there is always someone for us to talk to. I would encourage anyone thinking about making a change in 2015 become a foster carer – you can make such a worthwhile difference to a child’s life.” Gareth continued: “We need more foster carers to come forward. Becoming a foster carer is one of the most rewarding steps you can take – these children are likely to have had a challenging start to their lives and you can be the person who makes the priceless difference to their life by offering them a home and care. January is a great time to consider a change and we want Foster15 to raise awareness of this need and urge more people to come forward to find out more about fostering.” If you would like to find out more about being a foster carer with Pathway Care, phone 0800 170 170 6. You can also find Pathway Care on Facebook and Twitter.
Pathway Care Wales is delighted to announce that it has been awarded Tier 1 status in the Children’s Commissioning Consortium Cymru (4C’s) all-Wales Foster Placement Framework 2015. The framework is designed to provide a minimum standard of care for placements, ensuring quality of care among local authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies. Tier 1 status acknowledges Pathway Care is meeting the highest standards of care in Wales. This award is a reflection of the continued hard work of our fantastic carers and the support that they are given by our team in Wales. We’d like to say a big thank you to all our carers, children and staff for their contribution.
Pathway Care is supporting Warwickshire Pride this year and inviting anyone along who is considering being a foster carer to find out more. We will have an information stand at the event to highlight that sexuality, gender or age isn’t a barrier to being a foster carer. Catherine Rioda, regional service manager for Pathway Care’s central region, said: “Our whole ethos is around equality and supporting others, so we are delighted to support Warwickshire Pride to talk to local people about being a foster carer with us. We are currently recruiting new carers in the area and find a lot of people presume they can’t be a foster carer for reasons which aren’t true – so come along and talk to us to find out more. We offer nationally recognised qualifications, high quality training and an excellent 24 hour support system for all our carers.” Warwickshire Pride is being held in Leamington Spa’s, Pump Room Gardens, on 4 July 2015 from 11pm until 7pm and is a day filled with entertainment, stalls and stage acts. If you’d like to find out more about being a foster carer with Pathway Care, freephone 0800 170 1706 for more information. You can also like Pathway Care on Facebook or follow us on twitter @PathwayCare
We are attending the Caribbean Food festival on Friday 31 July and are inviting anyone who would like to find out more about becoming a foster carer to join us. The event is free to attend and is being held at Centenary Square in Birmingham city centre between 11am and 7pm. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend. The day will include a mixture of music, live events, gospel choirs, food stalls and everything Caribbean. We will have an information stand from 11am until 6pm at the event for anyone who is interested in finding out more about being a foster carer and the positive impact it has on a child’s life. Catherine Rioda, regional service manager for Pathway Care’s central region, said: “Birmingham is a vibrant, multi-cultural city, with a large and ethnically diverse population and we are committed to recruiting foster carers that mirror that. Recruiting more foster carers means that Birmingham children in care can be cared for locally, in their city; promoting stability and contact with family and friends and maintaining attendance at their schools and leisure activities.” Anyone wishing to find out more about becoming a foster carer should attend the Caribbean Food Festival at Centenary Square, Birmingham City Centre or Friday 31st July from 11am – 7pm.
