At The Acorns, 33 Kellaw Road, Yarm Road Business Park, county Durham (2025)

01/12/2025

𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗕𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨?

Are you starting December thinking about a fresh start in 2026? If the answer is YES then a role as a respite foster carer might be for you 👉

A respite foster carer is someone who provides short-term, temporary care for children or young people who normally live with full-time foster carers, kinship carers, or sometimes their birth families.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼?

👉Give primary carers a break:

They step in for anything from a few hours to a weekend or a couple of weeks so full-time carers can rest, deal with family matters, or prevent burnout.

👉Support the child:

They offer a safe, stable, and nurturing environment while the child’s usual carers are unavailable.

👉Provide continuity:

They help maintain routine and emotional stability for the child during the short placement.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 ?

- Carers need time off due to illness, holidays, or emergencies

- Children with complex needs benefit from extra support

- Preventive support to help long-term placements remain stable

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿?

Respite carers go through the same approval and training process as other foster carers, but their availability is more flexible.

Many people choose this role if they want to foster but cannot commit to full-time placements.

Want to know more?

☎01325 485143

🌐www.acorncare.org.uk

28/11/2025

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗗𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘?

The Autumn Budget 2025 offers some hope for foster care. There is ongoing financial support, investment in homes and placements, and commitment to broader children’s social-care reform. This matters, especially given years of funding and capacity pressures.

This however is not a transformative fix. The foster-carer shortage, high demand, and structural stress in social care mean that many of the challenges remain.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧?

Much now depends on how local authorities deploy funding and how quickly foster care recruitment increases.

There is also a need for early help and prevention to help reduce future placement demand.

25/11/2025

𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧 !!!

Last week went out with a post highlighting that Darlington Markets is running a free toy exchange in the run up to Christmas 🎄

We are pleased to report that this initiative now includes clothes too.

You can donate toys, books and clothes and also take these away with you. The items available change regularly, so go and take a look!

The initiative was set up by parents in a bid to help families ensure children across the town have presents under the tree this Christmas 🎄

As as a fostering agency, we fully support initiatives like this as it makes such a difference to the lives of vulnerable children.

The stall is open Monday - Saturday, 10am - 3pm every week until Christmas.

24/11/2025

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐍 𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐓 - 2 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐎 !!!

The Autumn Budget is set to be announced in 2 days time but will there be anything announced regarding Foster Care?

The shortage of Foster Carers is a pressure within children's social care that requires immediate attention. With this in mind, there is potential for further measures in the Autumn Budget targeted at foster care recruitment.

In addition to this, there is also potential around retention, support payments and housing/capital investment for foster-care capacity.

There is no doubt that the budget is under very tight fiscal pressure (large budget shortfall, need for tax increases or spending constraints) which may limit how much “new” spending can be announced.

Let's hope that while council-tax relief for foster carers is being campaigned for, plans for this might be outlined within the chancellor's Autumn Budget announcement.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐍 𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐓?

LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS 🤔

21/11/2025

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗬𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬 !!!

Did you know that Darlington Markets are running a free toy exchange in the run up to Christmas?

You can donate toys or take toys away with you, and the things on offer change regularly, so go and take a look!

The Toy Exchange was set up by parents in a bid to help families ensure children across the town have presents under the tree this Christmas 🎄

As as a fostering agency, we fully support initiatives like this as it makes such a difference to the lives of vulnerable children.

The Toy Exchange is open Monday - Saturday, 10am - 3pm every week until Christmas.

19/11/2025

10 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑

Who woke up to snow this morning? It got the team thinking ...

What practical tips and advice would we give to Foster Carers to prepare for the winter months?

❄️𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞

Use the Warm Home Discount if you qualify. Some foster carers can access it depending on energy supplier schemes.

Use draft excluders, thermal curtains, and keep doors closed between rooms to retain heat.

Have a plan for power cuts (torches, blankets, charged phones).

🧦 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

Many children enter care without the right seasonal items. Ensure they have:

- Warm coats, hats, gloves, scarves

- Waterproof school shoes or boots

- Extra socks, thermals, and pyjamas

There might be clothing allowances available to help cover these costs.

🍲𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠

- Encourage regular handwashing, balanced meals, and plenty of fluids.

- Check if the child is eligible for free NHS flu vaccinations.

- Keep necessary medications stocked (inhalers, allergy meds, etc.).

🛡️ 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬

Winter can intensify feelings of isolation, anxiety, past trauma and missing family during seasonal events. It is important to provide warm, predictable routines, extra reassurance and check-ins.

Allow for time to talk about feelings, especially around Christmas.

🎄𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭

The festive period can be complicated for children in care. Prepare them gently for Christmas contact plans early.

- Ask how they like to celebrate

- Support them if they feel overwhelmed or unsettled.

- Include them in decorating, gift planning, and traditions at their pace.

📚 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

Ensure children have warm uniforms and layers.

Prepare for weather disruptions and work with the school if the child struggles with darker mornings or reduced energy.

💬 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐔𝐩 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬

Winter can increase strain on emergency placements, so stay in touch.

Report concerns early including - illness, behavioural changes, or safety worries.

🚗 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

If you drive children to school, contact, or activities:

- Allow extra travel time in frosty conditions.

- Follow your local authority’s travel expectations in bad weather.

🧸 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Dark evenings can lead to boredom or anxiety. Try:

- Indoor sports, swimming, or soft play

- Arts and crafts

- Winter walks

- Library visits

- Family board game nights

𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 !!!

14/11/2025

𝗕𝗕𝗖 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗

Isn't it great at this time of year seeing lots of people raising money for children in need? The sad fact is that we don't actually realise how many children are out there in desperate need of help.

Being a Fostering Agency, we are extremely passionate about working with families that wish to foster, especially those who have experience of working with looked after children and live anywhere in the North East. Our Foster Carers are rewarded well, including financially, so this is a real opportunity to work from home in a job that can make a real difference to a child’s life and your own.

In the North East currently there is a particular need for foster carers who are willing to look after children over 10 or those who can offer a home to brothers and sisters. It is a sad fact that siblings are often separated when they enter the care system due to the lack of foster families who have space to accommodate them. Experience shows that if siblings can be kept together, their trauma at being removed from their parents is eased and you will be especially valuable if you have room for more than one child.

Perhaps this years Children in Need has triggered your thoughts about becoming a foster carer?

If it has, we would love the opportunity to speak to you.

Contact our friendly team today

☎01325 485143

🌐www.acorncare.org.uk

13/11/2025

𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘

Today is World Kindness Day. The day serves as a reminder to encourage individuals, communities, and organisations to perform acts of kindness (big or small ) to make the world more compassionate and connected.

🌍 What is World Kindness Day Is About ?

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞:

To highlight good deeds in the community and focus on the positive power of kindness as a common thread that unites all people.

𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬:

People often celebrate by volunteering, writing thank-you notes, helping neighbours, donating to charities, or simply offering words of encouragement.

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞:

Kindness transcends politics, race, religion, and social background—it’s a universal value that improves wellbeing and strengthens human connections.

💛 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞

World Kindness Day has special relevance to foster care systems, where compassion and empathy play a critical role.

Here’s how:

👉𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

The day draws attention to the needs of children and youth in foster care, many of whom face instability, loss, and trauma.

Kindness-focused campaigns can highlight how communities can support foster families and children.

👉𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Acts of kindness such as mentoring a foster child, donating supplies, or volunteering can make a meaningful difference.

It inspires people to consider becoming foster parents or offering respite care.

👉𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠

For children in foster care, even small gestures of kindness like a teacher showing patience or a neighbour offering inclusion can build trust and self-worth.

👉𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞

Kindness campaigns can counter stereotypes or stigma around foster care, showing it as a community-supported, compassionate system rather than a government obligation.

𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 - Even one kind act like listening, mentoring, or donating can ripple through the life of a child in care and the system that supports them. 💫

11/11/2025

𝐖𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 !!!

Today is

At 11am we will be holding a 2 minute silence to remember all those who have lost their lives in military conflict.

11am marks the exact moment the guns fell silent at the end of World War I in 1918.

09/11/2025

𝐖𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 !!!

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

05/11/2025

𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 !!!

For those that already foster you will appreciate that many children in care have experienced trauma that affects their brain development. This makes survival-based behaviour a natural response.

Foster parents that view these actions as a means of communication and not disobedience, respond with empathy and support, rather than frustration.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 '𝐌𝐘𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍

We live in a society where care-experienced people face a lot of prejudice, even as they leave care and enter adulthood. Some people mistakenly believe that children are taken into care because of their behaviour, a stereotype which particularly affects older children and teens in care.

There’s a huge range of potential reasons why a child may enter the care system, none of which are their fault. Perhaps a child has lost a parent in death or has been removed from their home due to a parent’s reluctance to end a relationship with an abusive partner. They may also have faced neglect or abuse. These things can have a huge impact on every aspect of a person’s life, including their development, behaviour and health outcomes in later life.

Here are some further facts about childhood trauma and childhood behaviour that you might find beneficial.

👉Childhood trauma impacts brain development

When a child is exposed to traumatic circumstances, it can impact the way their brain develops and affect the rate at which they hit normal milestones. When the brain has been in a constant state of high alertness to cope with threat, in a constant state of fight of flight, it dampens a child’s ability to develop higher skills such as regulating their emotions and being able to make safe decisions.

👉Behaviour always communicates a need

A great way of understanding behaviour is remembering that every behaviour can be read as a form of communication. Many of a child’s behaviours may be influenced by the trauma they live with

👉Co-regulation strategies to practice with your foster child

One of the biggest ways you can support a child in moments where their behaviour is challenging is by building a safe and trusting relationship with them over time. This allows them to explore, build resilience and develop healthier coping mechanisms when they’re feeling upset or unsafe. Here are 3 tips for effective co-regulation with your foster child.

𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

Always try to be patient.

Helping your foster child to learn to regulate their emotions won’t be a linear journey, nor will it be a swift road to success. You’ll need to be patient and consistent in order to see results.

03/11/2025

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT - This weekend we were making memories at Planet Leisure in Newton Aycliffe

At The Acorns

01/12/2025

28/11/2025

25/11/2025

24/11/2025

21/11/2025

19/11/2025

14/11/2025

13/11/2025

11/11/2025

09/11/2025

05/11/2025

03/11/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share