A fantastic day providing first aid training for our young people last week!
We had a fantastic Men In FC day with Scott Henery from Social Care Training Solutions in Lincolnshire, covering Empowering Empathetic Conversations, with some really good engagement and interaction. After lunch, we then had a go at Go-Karting at Ancaster Leisure in Grantham, and had a great time! Thanks to everyone who attended.
Something a little different this year! A trip to the Panto, a fantastic time was had by everyone!!
It was fantastic to bring back the in person Foster Carer Conference this year! Our two day event had three fantastic training sessions and our Masked Ball, which was just fabulous! Our Foster Carer conference is a fantastic opportunity for our foster carers to continue to build on the relationships they have with staff and other foster carers in our community.
What a fantastic day with Nick Barwick! The feedback from everyone that took part has just been phenomenal!
We supported Black History Month by recognising and celebrating racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds of children and adults with an online workshop with multiple guests and speakers.
What a fabulous day out at Kent Life, the young people asked to return, so of course, we did! From goat feeding, to stroking the Alpacas everyone had a great day! Roll on Summer 2023!
Kent Life Summer 2022!
Kent Life Summer 2022!
Another successful Men in Foster Care Event! Mixing training on Empowering Empathic Conversations, with Go Karting, sharing expereinces and best practice. We can't wait until next year!
Bouncing on the giant trampoline and feeding the goats, are just two of the fantastic activities the young people (and staff) got involved in at Tattershall Farm Park!
Tattershall Farm Park 2022
Tattershall Farm Park
Every year we offer £100 to all children in the Affinity Family households to help them have new experiences, visit new places and enjoy the summer a little more.
Disneyland
Swimming Pool
Alton Towers
Trampoline
August saw us return to Alton Towers again! Our young people are given a choice of where to go on our annual holiday, and they always pick Alton Towers!
The well-respected Role Models organisation have been in to run two great workshops for our young people! The topics and focuses of these workshops were designed around the feedback we received from our Voices Group. The sessions were a great success and the feedback we received from our young people was very positive, you can read about it in our follow-up blog.
This year we ran two fantastic events, one in Lincolnshire and one in the South. From outdoor Easter egg hunts to quizzes and crafts, the young people in attendance had a fantastic time!
September saw our first face to face men in foster care session held at The Wright Event in Kent. A great morning training session on Safer Care by Scott from Social Care Training Solutions before a BBQ lunch and an afternoon on Quad bikes - it was a brilliant day and we thoroughly appreciate the input from our male foster carers, thanks for a great event!
Scott delivering
Scenario planning!
Lunch and a chat
Getting prepared
foster carers assemble!
We all survived!
Creating new friendships and lasting memories.
August saw us back doing our Annual Young People's holiday - This three-day and two-night trip was again chosen by our young person's council group "Voices" to happen at Alton Towers! This year we took over 30 young people with us!
These trips are an opportunity for our young people to get to know each other better, get a little time away from home and to have a lot of fun!
Our activity holidays are also time for our foster carers to get some respite, and we're desperately looking forward to being able to offer this again!
A-TEAM STAFF!
GETTING SEA SICK!
WHERE ARE WE?
WHERES NEMO?
THE BIG DROP
ROUND & ROUND & ROUND
ROLLER COASTER FUN
August saw us take a group of almost 30 young people to "The Beach Bluewater", where, although the weather was a bit and miss, our young people had a great time in the water splashing about, zorbing and going on the funfair rides! This event gives the chance to meet other young people and Affinity staff who will be attending our Activity Holiday at Alton Towers, to help build rapport and establish relationships. It was a great time for all and left everyone looking forward to the holiday!
POOL TIME
ZORBING!
THE WALTZ!
SHALL WE?
GETTING SEA SICK!
August saw the beginning of being able to return to "normal" and we didn't waste any time in doing so! A visit of over 30 people from the Affinity family descended on Kent Life Heritage Farm Park in August, followed a few days later with another Affinity family group attending Tattershall Farm Park in south Lincolnshire the same week! It was great to see everyone there and catch up face to face whilst the children had a great time on the activities and seeing all the animals. Thank you to everyone who took part and for the great photos!
WHERE ARE WE?
NEW FLUFFY FRIEND
YUMMY FOOD!
BOUNCING FUN!
KENT LIFE MAP
MORE FEED PLEASE!
Following our brilliant lockdown Craft Days, in August we held our first face to face session which was a great success! Our young people got to make their own plant pots, pain them with water proof paint (needed this summer!) and plant their own flowers to take home. It was a great success all round, well done to Izzy and Vicky for organising the day, and to the oyung people who made such great pots!
HMM WHICH COLOUR?
D FOR DAPPER?
TIME TO GET DIRTY!
TA DA - FINISHED!
LOVELY FEEDBACK!
Our first 2 virtual Cooking class events took place in half-term with expert tuition from a proper chef! Kent Cookery School were fab instructors, delivering sessions from their own chef's kitchen. With children doing most of the cooking (whilst supervised) and the results were some delicious meals created for the whole family. The feedback has been super positive and we're looking forward to booking some more exciting classes in the next holidays. Well done to everyone who took part and for the great photos of your meals!
A proper chef!
Hard at prep
Yummy!
Delicious Veggie Chilli
We haven't let the run of national lockdown's dampen our creative spirits, and we have held numerous virtual craft days for all our young people recently. Sessions varied from making decorative cards, their own robots and jet packs, and decorations for Halloween and Christmas!
We have had some great designs and items made, and items made that were then gifted to our foster carers, which was lovely. Well done to everyone involved and we look forward to more to come!
Robot!
Halloween!
Jetpack!
Crafting
Christmas!
Our Voices Group, after working with Become charity through their brilliant Passport To Parliament project, embarked on their own campaign facilitated by Affinity, creating a video close to their heart, which you can see here. They then wrote to Nadhim Zahawi MP, and he replied with a very supportive letter . Through Nadhim Zahawi, the Department for Education disseminated the video and letter to the recognised National IRO Members Partnership (NIROMP), who have made it a centrepiece for their website and are ensuring all IRO's are aware of the important message. This is a great example of our young people empowered to facilitate change for them and all young people in foster care. We're incredibly proud of them! Read more on this on our Blog
Becomes Passport to Parliament
NIROMP
In normal times, we provide a "Pot of Gold" to everyone young person with Affinity for Summer days of fun, to be used for brilliant things like outdoor activities, trips on speedboats, horse riding lessons and loads more.
Lockdown and a muted summer of available activities haven't stopped this great provision, with the money still being made available, for items keep the whole family entertained over the lockdown period, either in the home, the garden or enjoying great activities when restrictions allowed!
Slides
Pony!
Fishing!
Little Pets!
Camping!
Affinity coordinate a Young People’s Participation group, which they themselves named “Voices”. This group, made up of volunteers from Affinity’s Young People, has been established to help vocalise their thoughts, feelings and ideas.
This brilliant group also helps Affinity with new projects and activities, and are currently working on a video for our foster carers called “The child behind the referral".
Voices Chessington Trip
Voices Designed Logo
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