Naomi Pollard, the Registered Manager for FCA South Western, shares details about the recent away day she'd organised for her team members.
People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou
This quote really is central to all that we do as a fostering service here at FCA South Western, and my aim as the Registered Manager is to get out and about more this year than I did in 2023. I get so much from spending time with team and foster parents.
So to start the year off I held our team away day at Fingle Glen and I had everyone taking part in some fun activities. I wanted the team to have an enjoyable day where team building was the spotlight. The focus for the day was 'people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel’.
I have also met with our four carer reps which is fantastic, Jakki, Wayne, Danielle and Andrea and they are going to be coming along to support groups and meals this quarter to meet as many of our foster parents as possible. Andrea and I attended the Plymouth support group this month and heard how each foster parent is getting on. They also suggested some valuable and good ideas for our support groups…watch this space!
The carer reps will also be working with a lead Supervising Social Worker on a piece of work to improve the quality of recordings, this has been influenced by our Ofsted inspection who felt we could improve in this area. There will be workshops announced shortly and I do have an expectation that all of our foster parents attend one in the region.
We are excited about the opportunities in 2024, including face-to-face training opportunities. Hayley, is expecting her second baby and will commence her maternity leave in March. We have successfully recruited Jen to fill her vacancy for a fixed term. Jen will bring lots to the region as she is a trained therapist in FASD and Theraplay.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable, successful day and everyone formed strong bonds and had fun.
