Fostering Emotions is a unique training programme or experience for foster carers who want to understand their emotions and respond differently to what is going on around them
Earlier in 2022 I had an idea that I felt had the potential to make a huge positive impact on a community of people who elect to put themselves and their families in an incredibly rewarding but very emotionally-challenging position.
Who are these people? Foster carers
Why do I care about the well-being of this group of people?
Well, I have first-hand experience of the role as I was a carer for many years and I know that even with formal training on all the likely scenarios you may experience, you cannot prepare yourself for how fostering affects you emotionally. It’s like when you first have a newborn and no-one can explain how that feels – on every level.
The Piloting of Fostering Emotions
When I shaped up my idea for this the programme I approached Ed Hill-Thompson, Training & Participation Manager at Blue Sky Fostering. I contacted Blue Sky as I had heard so many positive things about them and the level of support they provide for their carers.
I am very grateful for Ed’s enthusiastic response to piloting the programme with 12 of their carers. Ed went even further by inviting a number of the delegates to be ‘case studies’ so that I could evaluate the impact on them as individuals.
The response to the course was extremely positive and the pilot was over subscribed in less than 24 hours!
The pilot/ beta testing of the programme ran for 6 sessions ending in July 2022. Whilst the style and content wasn’t for everyone, the feedback from those attending re-enforced that this is a valuable learning experience for them. Don’t you just love it when you trust your instincts and do something because it feels right? And then it works out. I know I do.
Ed says,
“We often get approached by people offering us training – off the shelf and ready to go, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right training. When Linda approached me, I was struck by how much she was willing to work with us to ensure that what she was going to be delivering met our needs.
From content down to timings and structure, it felt like a real collaborative effort.
The other key draw was Linda’s experience as a practitioner and as a Foster Carer herself. This allows for an understanding of life from the perspective of someone caring for another person’s child and the challenges this brings, and what you can do about your own emotions during that time. This learning (I don’t want to call it training, it’s more than that) is about adding another string to your bow as a Foster Carer and taking from it what might work for you, and I think the feedback speaks for itself.
I would say to anyone wanting to take part in this, give it a go and see what strings you can add to your bow for yourself.
One final point I would like to add, thank you to Linda for your work on creating this and your enthusiasm and professionalism in helping carers by launching this project and listening to everyone throughout the journey, we are massively looking forward to continuing to work with you.”
Carers who have already been through the programme said:
“What we’ve covered has already been so helpful in dealing with those big, unexpected situations much more calmly”
Adam
”This has given me the confidence to create opportunities to talk about feelings more with the kids”
Mandy
“What we’ve learnt is already, and will continue to make a big difference to how involved I get in my own emotions”
Simon
“I’ve not really thought about the make-up of being a human being before. It’s really helpful to have this understanding, even if we don’t always have time to be aware of it when dealing with the immediate”
Pam
“I’ve found it very useful especially at the moment with such a high input child who can be exhausting!”
Alison
“Having this new understanding really helped this morning at a meeting. I saw how I can be upset about this {situation we were discussing} all Summer, or I can let it go. Now I know it’s my choice”
Laura
It’s already helping carers and creating a ripple effect out into the whole household
Click here if you’d like to sign up to receive more information about this programme: https://linda.kartra.com/page/FosteringEmotionsenquiry
or if you’d prefer to book a call to discuss your thoughts and requirements please use my diary link:
https://calendly.com/linda-61/linda-call
Linda Wood
Transformative Coach and Trainer
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