Why?
The ANV AMPLIFY awards aim to champion and recognise the work of children in care councils and care leaver forums. They were held in October 2024 (Amplify – Coram Voice) – Bolton’s Voice4U were nominated for the ‘Voice award’.
What?
- In a recent discussion about their foster care experiences Voice4U proposed creating and delivering a training session for Bolton’s foster carers. The session they developed and delivered shared their personal stories about entering care and transitioning to new foster homes. The aim was to help foster carers understand how to ease this challenging time for young people.
- Some members of the group also recounted their experiences of being taken to the police station, expressing how frightening it was, and how it made them feel as if they had done something wrong. They also suggested solutions to how this experience could be improved for young people.
- The group developed several resources for the session. These included a ‘Welcome to Your New Home’ booklet featuring a section on ‘How we do things in your new home’.
- They designed and showcased Memory boxes during the training.
- The group delivered the training sharing their personal experiences and vulnerability which truly brought the session to life.
- The group created a Capcut video suggesting items to include in a welcome pack including pyjamas, chocolate, nice toiletries and new underwear.
What difference did it make?
- Foster carers were really impressed with the training, and the project has generated another piece of work.
- Voice4U will be working on a new project in partnership with Greater Manchester Police providing some training to officers about removing children in an emergency, and how the police can make it less traumatic for the young people.
- As a result of this training, the Corporate Parenting Board have pledged to provide a memory box to all young people from Bolton coming into care.
- Foster carers will be asked to provide a short one minute video about young people’s new home and the surrounding area. Young people can watch the video before the move, even if it’s in an emergency.
- Foster carers have agreed to take the young person on a walk around their local area and show them where the shops and the bus stops are, because in the training the group spoke about not knowing where anything is and getting lost in a new area