Christmas is a busy time of the year, full of Christmas school plays, family events and shopping. Some looked-after children can find it hard to get into the Christmas spirit, for many reasons, from missing their birth family to not experiencing a happy Christmas in the past.
We believe that every child should have the right to a magical Christmas and a great way of bringing a touch of sparkle is by giving a gift that means something. A personalised gift can be a great way to show your foster child that you are thinking of them, and to give them something that truly belongs to them. We have searched the internet and come up with our top personalised gifts for children this Christmas.
Top 5 Personalised gifts for children
Personalised Kid's Book
Personalised children's books are a fantastic present, not only do they inspire children's imagination by bringing them into the story but they also allow for family bonding.
Personalised Christmas books with the child's name within the story can be great for long-term foster placements as you can turn the book into a tradition of reading the book every year they are with you. Or, why not choose a "Where's Are You?" Book where you can choose to make the character represent your foster child. This is a great opportunity to spend one-on-one time and provides hours of fun.
Some of our favourites
Personalised Storage Box
Giving a storage box with the child's name on allows the opportunity to be creative. They may wish to turn the box into a memory box to keep all the things that they find most precious in their world in a safe place. On the other hand, they may wish to through all their toys in it, knowing that they have somewhere safe to keep them.
Some of our favourites
Personalised Bag
If you have a short-term foster placement then giving them a personalised bag is not only useful but thoughtful too as they may have to travel from place to place. Whether you are looking after younger children or teenagers there are lots of companies out there that can provide personalised bags for different age groups.
Some of our favourites
Personalised Socks
If you're looking for more of that novelty but personal touch, then we think these personalised novelty socks are a great choice! Add the image of yourself or a family member. Great fun for a bit of laughter over the Christmas period.
Some of our favourites
Make them something magical
Times are tough and personalised gifts can be a little pricey, so why not get creative! From a photo album book to a homemade blanket, sometimes the best gifts are the ones we have put a lot of love into them.
Taking the time to make your child or young person something, can show them that you care and have been thinking about them whilst making the gift.
If you are thinking of moving foster agencies or would like to know more about becoming a foster parent, then please get in touch to find out more about FCA.
Finances and allowances
Our foster parents deserve to be rewarded for their hard work. That’s why we offer generous and competitive fostering allowances and payments.
Training
We are committed to providing high-quality training that is accessible and relevant to all of our foster parents.
24/7 Support
When you join us, you’ll be joining our community with access to one of the greatest fostering support packages out there! You really are never on your own because at FCA we really are family.
Frequently asked questions
What is fostering?
Fostering is providing a safe and stable family home for a child or young person who can’t live with their birth family. There are many reasons why children need foster care.
Who can apply to become a foster parent?
Anyone can apply to foster with us. We welcome foster carers from all walks of life; no matter what your gender, age, race or sexual orientation. We do have criteria though:
- You need a spare room
- You need to be over 21
- You ideally need to commit to fostering full time
- You need to have British Citizenship or indefinite leave to remain
What is the process of becoming a foster parent?
Applying to become a foster parent involves a number of steps and starts when you contact us.
- Get in touch
We’ll have a chat to you talk to one of our friendly fostering advisors by calling 0800 023 4561 or filling in our enquiry form.
- We’ll visit you at home
We will arrange for one of our fostering advisors to visit you at home to talk to you in more detail and what to expect and how we will support you and find out a bit more about you.
- Start your application
If you decide you’d like to apply to foster with us, we’ll start you application process. The process involves filling in an application form and once accepted we will then undertake your fostering assessment.
- Fostering assessment
Following your application we’ll undertake a fostering assessment. Your assessing social worker will visit you and your family at home a number of times to speak to you and collect information about you and your life. It will help us to understand more about you. In addition you will attend a preparatory training course to help you learn more about fostering and how to handle different situations. The assessment process takes between four to six months.
- Meet the panel
Once your assessment is finished you will go to a fostering panel who will make their recommendation. The group is made up of people with fostering experience. Your social worker will help you prepare and be there for support. Read our blog about panel to help you understand.
Once approved the real fostering journey starts!
What training will I receive as a foster parent?
We pride ourselves on being a learning organisation and are proactive in helping both our foster parents and employees to develop their skills, knowledge and experience.
We are committed to providing high quality training that is accessible and relevant to all of our foster parents.