Autumn Newsletter – Directors Update
Hi everyone,
Here we are again in the Autumn season😊 It is a time of year I love with beautiful colours on the trees and while the nights are getting longer, winter is still some way off. I have had the pleasure of visiting some Carer Groups this month and the feeling was definitely that summer is long gone and we are settling into the new school/academic year. It was lovely to hear the good news of the young people in Aftercare who did so well in their exams. We send our congratulations to them and their foster carers and wish them every success as they start their college courses.
Thank you to everyone completing carer logs – it makes such a difference to our understanding of what is happening in young people’s lives and as always it is a really important safeguarding tool for Foster Carers. We are delighted that so many have fed back that the Carer App is easy to use. There are a small minority of families who are NOT providing regular recordings which we are following up.
In July we have a fun filled Sports Day in Carlow IT with lots of families attending. There were races for all age groups including adults and the medals at the end of the day were a big hit. We were very disappointed that a similar event planned for Athlone IT had to be cancelled due to small numbers.
We are now officially in planning mode for 2025 for FFI’s 20th birthday. We asked all Carers if Carer Groups would like locally organised events or a central event to celebrate with us. The result was close (one vote in the difference!!) and locally planned events won. We have ten Carer Groups across the country and propose that two/three adjoining Carer Groups join together to plan an event that suit you best. We are delighted that the CCG members from each Carer Group will support the Groups in deciding on what works best in your region. We will send out further details of the all the events when they are finalised. The success of these celebrations is as always dependent on the participation of you and your family. The events can be planned anytime from May- September – so please get thinking and planning!!
We are also organising a Conference to be held next May in Maynooth to showcase our learning over the past 20 years and our future direction. More details on this will follow.
The issue of entitlement to the State Pension is a current area of concern for Foster Carers. IFCA are doing great work on behalf of everyone, and I urge you to contact your local politician in the run up to the Budget to keep this on the national agenda.
I hope to see as many as possible at our annual Carer Party. It is always a night of fun, celebration, and warmth. It is YOUR night – a time when we recognise and acknowledge the important and brilliant work that each of you do every day. It also recognises that there are many challenges in fostering and therefore all the more important to take a night off and celebrate YOU, So, if you have not booked a place, please join us by sending an email to Placements@ffi.ie
I am always delighted to hear from you and please remember that if there is anything you wish to bring to my attention, do not hesitate to do so by email marie.faughey@ffi.ie or call me on 0879790135.
If you would like to drop by the Dublin office and say hello you will always be assured of a warm welcome.
With best wishes,
