Mandy Andreoli

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Fostering Strengths

• Mandy Andreoli Jade Scott
• Wesley Community Action
• Wellington, New Zealand

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Welcome!

• Take a playing card as you walk in and put it in
  your pocket for later

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Human Map

• Where do you call home?
• Position yourselves as if on a map to show where
  you come from
• Do this without talking

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Fostering Strengths
Mandy Andreoli Jade Scott Wesley Community
Action Wellington, New Zealand
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Choose a picture that grabs your attention

• Get into groups according to your playing card
  from earlier

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Finding the Strengths

• Examine your picture individually
• Find at least one positive aspect/theme
• Take turns to share with your group
• Group members give their perspectives

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Share with the wider group

• Each group pick one picture that was particularly
  difficult to see the positive in. Share the
  groups thoughts.

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Wesley Community Action
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Wesley Community Action
One to One Fostercare Programme
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History of the 121 Programme

• 1999 CYFS research into fostercare
• 10 not getting needs met
• Youth Services Strategy introduced
• Specialist 121 Fostercare established
• Wesley accepted as a 121 service provider

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How 121 Works
24/h SW
Respite
Family Worker
Team Meetings
Full Time Caregiver
Therapy
Clinical Supervision
Y/P
Education
Tutor
Youth Mentor
Recreation
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Strengths Based Approach Caregivers

• Social Workers do SB training
• Caregivers do SB training
• Refresher workshops for caregivers
• SB slot in fortnightly team meetings
• Encourage SB language re young people

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Strengths Based Approach Young People

• Care Plans y/p drives the placement goals
• Young people always part of meetings
• Transparency
• Family Action Worker Strengths Based approach
  with families
• Young Peoples Booklet
• Relationship Focus
• Case notes in letter form

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Letter Writing
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Now lets hear from the people we work alongside

• Caregivers and Young People

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Struggles

• Contracted by Statutory Agency Not SB
• Referral Info Case History Assessments
• Language and labels used
• Struggles with systems eg. mental health,
  education

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Activity Reframing Language

• Manipulative
• Promiscuous
• Lazy
• Immature
• Easily Influenced

• Antisocial
• Hyperactive
• Withdrawn
• Demanding
• Attention Seeking

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Overcoming the Struggles

• Writing a letter to send to agencies involved re
  transparency
• Lead by example
• Advocacy
• Reframing what do you have to offer this y/p?

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Activity Reframing Reporting

• Incident Reporting CYFS Requirement
• Not strengths based
• Not written to young person
• Young person not involved in process

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Incident Report for Specialist Fostercare
Programme
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Re-design the Incident Report- 20 minutes in
groups- Redesign template and incident reporting
process- Report the incident in a
strengths-based way

• Scenario
• Tim went to the movies with his friend Josh and
  was due home by 7pm. He rang his caregiver Mary
  to say he had missed the train and would be on
  the next one in half an hour. He returned at
  10pm and was drunk. Mary later found out from
  Joshs mother that the boys had stolen a bottle
  of Vodka from her cabinet.

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Fostering Strengths
Mandy Andreoli Jade Scott Wesley Community
Action Wellington, New Zealand