The British Dyslexia Association have been in touch with us here at Family Fostercare to help spread the word about a free training webinar they are offering for carers, parents and professionals working with children, especially children in care, who have been identified as having Special Education Needs (SEN) or Specific Learning Differences (SpLD).
The free webinar, entitled Boosting Achievement of Children in Care: Understanding and Supporting Neurodiversity, comes in response to statistics showing that last year more than 50% of looked after children were identified as having Special Education Needs. The British Dyslexia Association is concerned that despite this, many of those who work with these children and young people still lack the confidence to identify the tell-tale signs of SEN and SpLD, or to be able to put appropriate support measures in place.
About the Webinar Training
The training aims to address this knowledge gap by providing an understanding of neurodiversity and SpLD, showing how these may impact on children’s learning, behaviour and mental health. The webinar supplies information and tools to help identify and support a range of conditions, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia/Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, and Trauma.
The webinar has been developed by the British Dyslexia Association and Patoss, with funding from the Department of Education and contributions from leading experts in each SpLD, so you can be sure the quality and accuracy of the information will be first class.
Given the overwhelming numbers of children in care with diverse range of SEN and SpLD we think this is an extremely valuable training opportunity for everyone considering fostering, as well as parents dealing with neurodiversity issues with their own children. And for our existing foster carers this could be a great top-up on the training and support we already provide on this topic.
Interested? Here are the details:
- Training for professionals, parts 1 & 2 - 7th and 21st February - Designed for social work and virtual school teams.
- Training for parents / carers - 28th February - Gives advice to those providing care to children at home or for professional teams who advise and train foster parents / carers.
All webinars take place from 12.30 – 13.30, and will also be accessible as free recordings on the BDA YouTube channel following the live events. Support materials will be available to download from the beginning of February 2018.
To sign up for your free place and to download materials, go to http://bit.ly/2yRiWql
Do You Have the Skills to Foster?
Family Fostercare are extremely keen to find new foster carers with experience of working with children with SEN and SpLD. This very definitely includes parents who have supported their own children through neurodiversity. The time, care and support you gave your own child turned you into an expert on parenting through neurodiversity and we really value those skills, knowledge and experiences you picked up along the way. Don’t let them go to waste – you could make the world of difference to children in care as a foster carer.
If you have these skills and think you could foster, please get in touch to find out more.