In our ‘five minutes with’ column we caught up with Carol Hammond the director and owner of OwnLife Fostering to gain insight into why she set up the foster care agency and how foster carers can benefit from its family-run set up. What’s the story behind setting up OwnLife Fostering? When I took retirement from a career in banking, I…
We’ve all been affected significantly this year due to COVID-19. One of the main issues impacting many of us is work and whether a job role has allowed for working from home. Where society may once have shunned a video call this is now something many of us embrace for work and for socialising. In fact, once settled, our foster…
For children and young people that are taken into care, the experience is already a distressing one. If you couple that with the thought of being separated from your brothers or sisters, then it is all the more traumatic. While local authorities aim to place siblings with the same foster carer, this may not always be possible. This is why…
In our new ‘5 minutes with’ column, we’ll be inviting some of our foster carers and OwnLife team to share with us some of their tips and advice on being a professional foster carer and working within the fostering sector. Here, we get the lowdown from Mandy who is a new foster carer with OwnLife Fostering. What was your inspiration…
If you’ve been thinking of becoming a foster carer, then our Foster Carer Information Day will help answer any questions that you have. We’re holding our next Information Day at the Clockhouse Community Centre, Defiance Walk, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, SE18 5QL on Thursday 23rd January between 10am-12pm. You’ll be able to meet members of the OwnLife Fostering team where you’ll have…
With the new year in full swing, is now the time to put into action your thoughts of becoming a foster carer? Often the decision to become a foster carer takes time, and it’s not something many people do quickly. It’s important you understand why foster care is important before you make your decision. To help you, we’ve gathered together…
It’s the start of a new decade, a new era and perhaps now it’s time for you to act on those thoughts about becoming a foster carer. With over 8,500 foster families needed across the UK over the next year (source: The Fostering Network), your application to become a foster carer in South London and Surrey can truly help to…
Choosing to be a foster carer is a career choice. This is not a decision people take lightly and as the process to be approved takes about 12 weeks it is a major investment in time and energy on your part. So let’s take a moment of your time to tell you about the support and rewards you may expect…
Each year at OwnLife Fostering we have several varied events that we like to host and get involved with. With the majority of activities focussed on our foster carers and the children in their care, such as with our annual summer picnic where foster parents, foster children and all family members have the opportunity to get to together, unwind, share…
To support our carers looking after children and young people with a range of complex needs, OwnLife has commissioned a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. She has over thirteen years’ clinical experience working with children, young people and families in NHS settings, schools, and private practice. This therapeutic supervision is in addition to the support supervision foster carers receive from their…