Christmas can be a magical time, but for foster carers and the young people they care for, it can also be a sensitive and complex season. While many families have long-standing traditions, welcoming a foster child into those celebrations requires thoughtfulness, flexibility, and open communication. respecting different beliefs Not all children celebrate Christmas. Some may come from different religious or cultural backgrounds. In these cases, carers should be prepared to supp

Christmas is coming and for some it is a time for celebrating and having fun. However, Christmas can also bring up a lot of negative feelings. December can be a difficult time for people due to things like past trauma and family problems. Also, a lot of places you would usually go to for support are closed for the holidays and you may not know where to turn to. However, there are still some services open or partially open over Christmas where you can go to get support with yo

On the first Friday of every month we run an open day event. Book an appointment and find out about all the services we offer children and young people , including further education and training for 16-18 year-olds, supported accommodation for 16+, and our fostering agency. Feel free to come down if you're interested in being a foster carer and meet our agency manager who can answer any questions you have. next open day Friday 9th January, 9:30am-12:30pm The next three open

Part of being a foster carer is dealing with endings and transitions that occur in foster care, and helping children and young people to manage the changes that go on in their lives.   Placements can end for different reasons, some of them planned and some unplanned. Our priority will always be supporting the child with whatever ending and transition will be taking place.   planned endings and transitions in foster care At asphaleia, when we place children in foster families,

In recent years, the importance of listening to the voices of children and young people has gained significant recognition. The UK Children’s Commissioner has launched an initiative known as "The Big Conversation" aimed at engaging with children and young people across the country. This initiative seeks to understand their views, experiences, and aspirations, ensuring that their voices are heard in discussions that affect their lives. The Big Conversation is not just a one-o

The State of the Nation 2025 report from the Centre for Young Lives has now been published. It provides a detailed and sobering overview of the challenges facing children and young people in England today, with millions growing up in poverty, homelessness, poor health, or struggling with mental health difficulties.   Key findings include:   4.5 million children living in relative poverty – nearly a third of all children 165,000 children in temporary accommodation, a 33% inc

Last week, asphaleia held its annual Learning and Development Week (L&D) for staff across the organisation. It is an opportunity for staff to examine a particular theme related to our work as an organisation and gain new knowledge, skills, and insight to apply to current practices. This year’s theme was -   Policy with Purpose: Driving Culture, Compliance & Capability   learning & development week; allowing policies to shape practices Policies aren’t just rules, they’re refle

A Parent and Child placement is a specific type of placement in foster care. This blog post will explain more about these specialist placements. If you have any further questions after reading, please feel free to get in touch.   what do parent & child placements involve? Each parent and child (P&C) placement is an individual placement. It requires both an assessment and training role of the carer/s. A P&C placement would have been agreed with the parent/s. It might involve

Neurodiversity is the notion that differences in the makeup of the brain are a natural part of the human condition. Many people may be of the understanding that ADHD or autism should or could be ‘fixed’. However, this cannot be the case since these variations of the brain are a natural part of diversity and it's important to embrace neurodiversity. Some people’s brains may process bits of information very differently to others and therefore they may socialise and communicate

Th 19th of September is Youth Mental Health Day. T his year's theme, Share Support , encourages young people and those around them to...

In July 2025, the UK government amended its legislation to grant voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds. This groundbreaking decision...

We are thrilled to share some fantastic news! Following our recent OFSTED inspection in May, we are proud to announce that we have received an outstanding rating. This achievement reflects the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our entire fostering team, as well as the support of our wider team of staff across the organisation. what being rated outstanding by ofsted means for our fostering agency An outstanding rating is the highest accolade that OFSTED can award, and i

This year we are celebrating asphaleia's 25th year of delivery. As part of our celebrations, we are sharing blog posts with the 25-year theme that may include stories, photos, quotes, and other content. Today, we are celebrating our foster carer role with 25 reasons to become a foster carer... Be part of delivering quality care with an Outstanding agency Find a deep sense of purpose  – know your time and energy are directly helping someone in need. Learn and grow  – fosterin

At asphaleia, we are proud to hold several respected accreditations that reflect our dedication to quality, people, ethical standards,...

Across 2025, we’re celebrating 25 years of asphaleia through many activities and through stories on our blog. This story features an...

Thursday 30th July marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Trafficking is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights....

The summer holidays can be a magical time where lots of memories are made in fostering families. But it can be tricky to fill the time...

On the 13-14th May, we welcomed our Matrix Assessor to meet and talk with some of our staff, students and young people and some of our...

Setting expectations is key when it comes to the summer holidays. Planning activities can help you feel less overwhelmed day to day...

As we continue with our yearlong celebration, we are launching  asphaleia celebration recipe book .   Cooking and eating are activities...