Two of our foster carers, Annabel and Leslie, from Child Care Bureau were shortlisted for the Jon and Kathy Award in the Fostering Excellence Awards 2020.
What are the Fostering Excellence Awards?
The Fostering Excellence Awards, hosted by The Fostering Network, are the UK’s most prestigious foster care awards. The awards celebrate outstanding achievement in fostering and recognise those who make exceptional contributions to foster care every day.
There are three award categories, with nine subcategories, including Outstanding Achievement, Outstanding Contribution by a Social Worker, Outstanding Contribution by a Social Worker, and so on.
Previously, the Fostering Excellence Awards Ceremony has taken place in London, however, due to Covid-19, the ceremony won’t be able to take place. Instead, the 2020 winners were recognised and their outstanding achievements celebrated online.
From Monday 19th October, a full week of celebrations shined a spotlight on the incredible fostering community and The Fostering Network revealed the winners.
Foster Carers, Annabel and Leslie
Both Annabel and Leslie were shortlisted for the Jon and Kathy Broad Award. This award recognises the outstanding work of a foster carer who specialises in fostering children and young people with learning disabilities.
Annabel and Leslie were nominated by Lynsey (Supervising Social Worker) for their commitment to working with birth families. Annabel and Leslie have worked with three separate sibling groups to help them return home to their birth parents. Annabel was noted within the agency’s last Ofsted report, which states: ‘One foster carer has been instrumental in supporting a plan for children to return to live with their family, regularly going to the family home to support the parent. By going over and above, this foster carer has enabled a smooth, well planned move for these children’.
The report really does not reflect the depth of empathy, patience and care that Annabel shows when working with vulnerable birth mothers and their children. Annabel taught one mother how to ‘read’ the children’s behaviours and how to respond to meet their growing needs. Annabel and Leslie continue to offer this high level of care to our children and they thoroughly deserve to win this award.
Even though on this occasion Annabel and Leslie unfortunately did not win, the team would all like to congratulate them on their shortlisting and thank them for their hard work, dedication and commitment to what they do every day and making a difference to so many lives.