Ensuring children feel heard and supported from the beginning...
Entering foster care can be a frightening experience, filled with uncertainty and fear of the unknown. As a care leaver who spent over a decade in foster care, FCA Participation Officer, Jess, understands the importance of feeling safe and supported during this transition. That’s why at FCA Thames Valley, we aim to ease these fears by providing each new foster child with a memory box—a personalized collection of items like books, teddies, and creative tools that help them feel at home. These boxes not only offer comfort but also allow children to preserve and create memories during their fostering journey. By placing the child’s voice at the centre of our efforts, we ensure they feel seen, heard, and supported from the very beginning.
From Jess Wilson, Participation Officer at FCA Thames Valley...
When you first come into to foster care, it can be such a scary time. You don’t know anyone, you’re in a strange home, sleeping in a strange bed, not really understanding what is happening. That was my view. I am a care leaver. I was in foster care from the age of 7 until 18 and I remember being placed with my first foster parents and I was given a book, just one book. It was nothing special, but I remember laying in this strange bed at night time, scared of what is happening and not knowing if I was going to return home, to getting lost in a book taking me away from my fears. At FCA Thames Valley we understand this and we do our best to try and take these fears away. One of ways we do this is making sure I go out within the first week of a young person moving to one of our fabulous foster homes. We call this a memory box visit. We provide each young person a large box, which inside is catered to the young person’s age and gender. There is books, colouring, a scrapbook, teddies, fidget toys, a MADLUG bag and lots of information about FCA including staff, events, how to make a complaint, how their move was to FCA and a get you know you questionnaire, which is where I sit down and talk and get to know each child’s likes, dislikes, things they would want to try, favourite foods and favourite places. We really put the children at the centre of everything we do and it starts with each young person using their voice and telling us all about them.
These memory boxes allow each child to create and save things that are important to them while they are with us at FCA. Having those memories are crucial to each child’s fostering journey.
One of our amazing foster parents said about the memory boxes “O and Z had a 16 day respite. In preparation for their first time away from home, we used your memory box and drew and advent calendar for them to place stickers on the box as each day passed. AS you can see, they had so much fun doing this!”
Another one of carers said that the children love their boxes and keep them in the living room where they decorate them and add bits to them every day! I am going to print off all their pictures and we will spend the day putting them on the box.
We always try to think of different ways to improve the memory boxes, we added the My Things Matter pledge to each box, so each child knows that their belongings will be treated with respect and dignity. We have also created a letter that was written by one of our young people, so children first coming to FCA can see that they aren’t alone and there is so much support and people who are there for them.
If you want to learn more about memory boxes or how you can get involved, please do get in touch.
My Things Matter
Jess has been a strong advocate for the My Things Matter initiative – a national campaign that aims at improving the experience of children and young people when moving from one home to another during their time in care.
The region have kindly been donated 120 duffle bags from Madlug, so when a child comes into care with FCA Thames Valley, they will receive one of these bags.
“This is something that is theirs and that they can keep forever. It is so important that young people feel respected, valued and dignified when moving home and these bags will ensure they do.”
Find out more about the My Things Matter Campaign here and watch the video below to find out more about how Jess is ensuring children’s and young people’s rights are upheld.
