Skip to main content

Grants / etc

Apply for a Magical Day Out (merlinsmagicwand.org) - relevant for those in foster care or recently adopted...

"We deliver a programme that supports children making wishes for Merlin attractions such as LEGOLAND®, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE Aquariums – it’s called Magical Days Out.

A single gifted day out for children to visit the local Merlin attraction of their choice. 

Magical Days Out are not just for terminally ill children, but for lots of children who are facing challenging circumstances. They can be applied for by parents, guardians or organisations and allow families to visit their chosen Merlin attraction for free. We provide our Magical Days Out to children who need them most, and our eligibility criteria includes children facing many types of adversity as well as those facing an illness or a disability."

...Magic On Tour does what it says on the tin (literally). We pack some of the magic and fun of a Merlin attraction into a minibus, a train, or a car, and we take it on tour, delivering it directly to children in schools, hospices, hospitals and orphanages. We work with attractions that volunteer their time to create special activities and fun visits for eligible children to enjoy, and we fund it with a Magic On Tour grant.

***

Free stuff & Discounts for Foster Parents - Mosaic Foster Care

***

https://mymaxcard.co.uk 

The Max Card is available for individuals caring for a child with special needs and/or disabilities, or for registered Foster Carers. Helping families save money on great days out at castles, zoos, bowling alleys, trampoline parks and many more.

The Max Card is the UK’s leading discount card for cared for and looked after children. Families can use their Max Card at venues across the UK to get free or discounted admission.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

little jumps

Little one is about to be 4... This means I'll be on some manic birthday planning after this. Figured I'm normally writing about the process, so today I'll share the latest for little one. She's also been going through a development jump. She's (successfully ) dressing herself without me and her writing is getting much clearer. She's exploring humour (ok, her jokes are mainly funny for the absurdity at this point).  A month ago, if you asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was 'big'. Now, she's saying a doctor or an astronaut (depending on when in you ask). A lovely vtec laptop was gifted by friends a while ago and it seemed like time to let her explore it last week... Two days later, she was typing out her own name! Considering we were initially talking about what delays there may be for her language and speech, this is an extra achievement :) She had been still going to bed with a milk bottle until recently. This had moved to wat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Direct Contact prep resources

I have mostly used online resources and remembered bits I've looked at previously, but will include other resources that I've been recommended in the below so that you can pull whatever is helpful for you!  A lot of the first ones are aimed at social workers, but still have been really useful. Not least of all, because although this is something with a lot more push than it used to have, in my case, I've found they're no more resourced and haven't necessarily had a lot of focus (training) time for this.  Online resources I've pulled from: Good practice guide - Contact-PG_E.pdf Staying Connected: the views of looked after children and young people on their contact arrangements - Coram Voice Supporting evidence-informed practice with children and families, young people and adults | Research in Practice   Contact: making good decisions for children in public law: Frontline Briefing (2024) | Research in Practice Staying in touch: Contact after adoption | Research...
Post a Comment
Read more

Schools

I've just finished reading ' No Matter What ' by Sally Donovan. Sally's books have been recommended wherever the topic of adoption has come up, which says something in itself. This book is her story - what led her and her partner to look at adoption and the challenges that they experienced in the years that followed.  One of the topics covered at a later part of the book is schooling. Interestingly, her experiences seem quite aligned with what Adoption Adventures described - sadly in both cases a child ended up having to move school because the initial school did not have an understanding of the effects of early trauma and that they might have to think about their strategies to help their behaviour. They also noted that it's not unusual for the behaviours to lead to a misdiagnosis of ADHD. Both mentioned that when the children had experienced that lack of safety then changes in the room that they couldn't see could leave them really unsettled. One thing advised ...
Post a Comment
Read more