Hello and Welcome to the Chrysalis Care blog spot


Chrysalis Care is an independent fostering provider, looking after children in London and the home counties. We have been operating since 1997 and have an ‘outstanding’ reputation.

As you will be aware there are many issues and topics highlighted by the media regarding looked after children, foster care, social services and children not being taken into care with tragic consequences.

The Chrysalis Care blog spot will be a forum where some of these topics, issues and other thoughts associated with fostering and looked after children will be discussed by staff, foster carers and perhaps some young people. I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to comment.

Allé Pflaumer, Director

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Our Foster Carer

One of our foster carers, Avril Head has fostered 140 children over 30 years and is featured in the Times newspaper (January 24th 2012).  Visit the article for more: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/sitesearch.do?querystring=Avril+head&p=tto&pf=all&bl=on

Thursday 26 January 2012

No Ceiling to Hope? – Working for a Better Society

Today, I have read two news items that have struck a chord – firstly, the XLP Annual Report (http://www.xlp.org.uk/) and I also downloaded the sample chapter from Patrick Regan’s latest book: ‘No ceiling to hope’. The work of XLP is inspiring and I look forward to attending their open day on 1st March 2012. They produce some t-shirts – must get one – with slogans such as: ‘I refuse to believe this is a lost generation’. As someone committed to enrichment and a believer that there truly is no celing – it IS possible for young people (or anyone, whatever age) to turn themselves around and with the right support and guidance and environment, to make better choices, for their own lives, for their community and for a better society.



The other news item was a link sent to me by my colleague, Julie Collins, which was from the CEO of the NSPCC, Andrew Flanagan (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andrew-flanagan/child-protection-we-need-a-rethink_b_1176853.html). Again, Andrew is clearly passionate about the protection of children and in the commitment of us all: “It's not just a 'Big Society' but a 'Better Society'; a society that does not look to others to act, but is willing to act themselves.” Hear, hear - our social responsibility is absolutely key to making the changes that policy and legislation clearly cannot.


This is a bitter sweet blog…Andrew promotes that dwindling resources now be redirected to the priority of younger children but what about all of those young people who surely cannot be considered the lost generation (?): Is the choice that crude? This is not a criticism of the latter news story (a blog worth airing in my view) but it does bring to the forefront the complexity of the struggle.


Yes, babies and young children need to be protected and nurtured. Yes, parents and families need to be supported and empowered. Yes, young people need to be provided with supportive and inspiring environments to flourish and make good -no great – choices.


At Chrysalis Care, we believe in children – a child is a child until they are eighteen years old – please let us never forget this. There are other agencies that do fantastic work with adults, confirming the ‘hope has no ceiling’ mantra. It is imperative that we do not give up on hope for better – if we believe, we can achieve.


Joanna Oliver, Strategic Development Executive

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Chrysalis Care supports ‘Give a child a home’

Our Registered Manager, Ian Dixon, was recently invited to meet the Prime Minister and other Senior Ministers and Directors for a round table discussion about fostering and adoption. This event was on the national news albeit he didn't get into camera shot!

Ian said: “This was a proud event for Chrysalis Care and demonstrates that (as fostering providers), we DO have a bigger, as in the Bigger arena on how we shape fostering in the future. It was a short meeting but nonetheless, good for us at Chrysalis Care and I hope the discussion helped the Prime Minister have a better understanding of how we all work together.”

At Chrysalis Care, we are committed to contributing to improving the services that children and young people receive, so that they can have the positive life experiences that all children should enjoy. We are extremely pleased that fostering and adoption is receiving the attention that it is and valued being invited to be a part of this event.

visit: http://www.giveachildahome.co.uk/

Ian Dixon/Joanna Oliver

Thursday 19 January 2012

Crisis looms for foster care in 2012

At least 8,750 new foster families need to be found across the UK in the next 12 months to avoid a crisis in foster care in 2012, the Fostering Network has warned today (20 December).

The new figures show the scale of the challenge for fostering services as they struggle to provide the right foster homes for all the children who need them.

The number of children in care who need foster homes has risen for five years in a row, and is continuing to rise. There is also an ageing foster carer population and around 14 per cent of the workforce retire or leave every year.

Without these extra families, too many children will have to settle for second best. This might mean living with a foster carer who is a long way from the child’s home, school and family, or who does not have space for their brothers and sisters, or even living in residential care when fostering has been identified as the right option.

Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said: “These figures are alarming – we could be facing a real crisis when looking to provide the most appropriate care for children who cannot live with their own family.

“All children in care need a family they can grow up with who can love them, be ambitious for them and help them achieve their potential. For a growing number, foster care is the best option.

“By becoming a foster carer people can help the children they welcome into their homes to have the best possible opportunity of a positive future, do well at school and be successful in later life."

An extra 7,100 foster carers are needed in England, 1,000 in Scotland, 550 in Wales and 100 in Northern Ireland.