The Glasgow team have piloted a ‘Burds and Bs’ group, which provides additional peer mentoring for carers who look after teenagers.
The group-led structure has proved very popular, with West carers covering topics including:
- social media and internet safety,
- family contact,
- personal care and rules, and
- boundaries and responsibilities.
In March, Swiis Glasgow office welcomed Amy Davidson, Young Champion for The Fostering Network, alongside Sue McKellar to speak at the meeting.
Young Champions are young people aged between 15 and 22 years who themselves have been or are currently fostered. They support The Fostering Network by providing training for foster carers, speaking of their experiences at conferences and writing articles for newsletters.
Amy joined the group and shared her experiences of being looked after, and of the positive impact that her foster carers had on her life. Currently studying at university, she was very honest and shared her thoughts and feelings, including topics such as family contact, education, personal care and other issues affecting teenagers. Amy also explained the areas in which she feels that her foster carers excelled, allowing her to feel safe and secure.
Feedback from Swiis foster carers on the day were that Amy’s experience was very moving, and that they found it very positive:
“Listening to a young girl in placement since the age of 12, was very enlightening and emotional. This is a great way to understand how a looked after child really feels”
“Very interesting and very helpful”
The Burds and Bs group will take a break over summer and will return in August.
If this has inspired you to foster, please get in contact with us by sending us an enquiry, or by phoning us on 0333 240 9049.