Transcript for the video on Transfer to Kent Fostering.
[The video starts with Natasha Nickson speaking to camera. Graphic on screen says: Natasha Nickson – Parent and Child Foster Carer.]
Natasha: So, I am Natasha and I've been fostering for ten years, but I've been with Kent for about four years.
[Graphic on screen says: Why did you choose to move to Kent Fostering?]
Narrator: Why did you choose to move to Kent Fostering?
Natasha: I chose to move over to Kent from an agency that I'd been with for about six years, and it was quite a lengthy process in terms of my decision-making. So it took me a long time to make that move, because there are so many misconceptions that my head had been filled with about the differences between working for an IFA and working for a local authority.
A lot of the things that we were told were the support wouldn't be very good, that the money's not as good and that you sort of get lost within, you know, this big thing where you just become a number and not a name.
And so we - well, my husband and I - were at the stage where we were open to having another child come and live with us. A lot of the referrals that we were getting from our agency weren't appropriate, considering we had our own young daughters at that stage.
A lot of the time we would say, you know, "Thank you, but we don't think that that child's going to be right for our family," and we were always made to feel guilty, almost. We were asked to explain why we decided to say no, and they'd try and make excuses for, you know, trying to make us accept, even though we knew that that child wasn't right for our family.
My mum and dad are also foster carers, and they'd moved across from the same agency about a year or so before we did. My mum had spent years saying to me, "Oh, Natasha, you know, you need to come across to Kent. It is so much better." So I think it was good that I knew someone that was already there, and it was someone that was close to me.
Obviously it would have been nice to be with my parents as well, but we wanted to have a choice of children that were more local to us as well, because our agency was based in Essex. So a lot of the training that we had to go to, it was like an all-day event because we had to travel all the way to Essex.
And subsequently, a lot of the children that were being offered to us were Essex-based. So we acknowledged the fact that, especially with our own young children, that would be a nightmare trying to get them to family time and trying to get them to schools in Essex.
So there were quite a few reasons as to why we wanted to move, but they were the main ones.
[Graphic on screen says: What was the transfer process like?]
Narrator: What was the transfer process like?
Natasha: So the transfer process I found really, really easy. And that was actually one of the things that put me off moving across initially, because you just think, "Oh, there's going to be so much work involved. There's going to be so much paperwork and loads of visits. Have I got time to fit all of this in?" Just to move across to do a job that I'm already doing.
But the team that I spoke to initially on the phone were really lovely. There was a point where I think I had a really busy week with the children and I said, "I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to have time, you know, for any of this this week." And they were absolutely lovely. "Yes, of course, Natasha. No problem. We'll be in touch again the week after."
So I did feel like they were really accommodating and respectful of the things that we had going on as a family at the time.
When we were given an assessing social worker, it was a lady called Judy, who I think still works with Kent, and she was so lovely. And very quickly we built that rapport and she'd come round and it was just like having a friend round for a chat.
And, you know, we lost hours just chatting away about everything. She'd go through the assessment process with us, but it didn't feel like it was a chore. It just felt like having a friend round for a coffee. And I really enjoyed those sessions.
And so, because we were transferring as well, the whole process didn't take quite as long as it would have done if we were new into fostering. And that was all very clearly explained to us at the beginning, so that was another thing that put my mind at rest.
Because I remember through the application process with the agency, the massive Form F, which thankfully we managed to get our hands on so we didn't have to redo all of it. But Judy went through it and there were certain parts of it that she wanted to investigate a bit further and put a bit more information in. But because we already had the bones of it, it was a lot less stressful than I expected it to be.
[Graphic on screen says: What was the support from Kent Fostering like?]
Narrator: What was the support from Kent Fostering like?
Natasha: I found the support with Kent to be really, really good, and that was one of the things that I was concerned about. I said about the misconceptions about moving from an agency to a local authority, that the support wouldn't be as good. I found the complete opposite.
We have WhatsApp groups between foster carers, and I literally have foster carers that I can walk to that live on my road. I think there's two that actually are on the same road as me. So that's really lovely.
I've been known to message on this WhatsApp group at like ten or eleven o'clock at night, not expecting a response till the next day, but ten minutes later I've got the answer that I need, and we're all really supportive. If ever we've got a problem, we'll speak to each other.
Similarly, you know, we all have our own social workers who you can email and phone whenever. My social worker, even if I'm having a really good week and there's not much going on with the children, she'll still phone just to have a catch-up and see that I'm okay.
So I know that I can always contact her. I've just changed social workers because we change social workers every three years, but my old social worker still phones and emails me to make sure that I'm okay. So that's really nice. You don't feel that you've lost that relationship.
The training that I've had with Kent has been amazing - industry-leading people. We have people from the police that come and talk, and there was a fascinating training course that I had about gangs and how children are being recruited into these gangs.
It was actually run by a guy who was in a gang himself when he was younger. He spent time in prison and he's come out the other side, and he does a lot of work with children trying to get them out of this situation. So that was really quite inspiring.
And I've had the chance to do a diploma in advanced skills as a foster carer. And that was something that I didn't have to do, and you don't have to do it, but there's always something on offer for you to further yourself and better yourself, if that's what you want to do.
But the training I've always found to be really good and really accessible as well. You book it yourself online and you can pick a time that suits you. And, yeah, so I've really, really been impressed with the training.
[Graphic on screen says: What is your experience like now?]
Narrator: What is your experience like now?
Natasha: So since I've transferred, I kick myself almost that I didn't do it sooner, because it has been better in every aspect.
You know, the money is just as good. I know people talk about, "Oh, you're not paid as well with a local authority as you are with an agency." That's not been the case. The training's been better, the support's been better.
And because it's so much bigger than an agency, there's so many different departments that are so specific. So you can have a really specific problem and there's someone that you can go to that knows the ins and outs of everything. So you know that you're getting the right support and the right information.
So I have been really impressed with Kent. The people are really special, and the foster carers that we work with and the social workers, they're just some of the most caring people that I've ever met. Really, really special people to work with.
And I have just really enjoyed everything that there is to offer. There's so many events, and I suppose because I'm a foster carer with my own young children, it's how much they get your own children involved as well.
It's not all about the foster children, which you do sometimes find with an agency. All of the events that are put on for the children, like days out to the zoo, arts and crafts days, Christmas parties - so many things - your own children are invited as well.
Because, you know, we foster as a family, and it's just so lovely that you can go out and do things with your birth children and your foster children because they see each other as siblings. And it's nice that they're not differentiated.
And there's children's councils, which my daughter's a part of, and she loves doing things like that. It makes her feel really special.
And you do feel like you're really making a difference, and you feel like you're appreciated as well, which I think is becoming lost a bit sometimes in fostering. But you do feel like you're making a difference to the children and that your work is appreciated.
[Graphic on screen says: What advice would you give to someone who is considering transferring?]
Narrator: What advice would you give to someone who is considering transferring?
Natasha: If you're considering transferring, I would say absolutely go ahead and make that first step.
I spent years pondering whether to do it or not, and, you know, there's so many different things putting me off and holding me back. But looking back on it now, I wish I'd just done it sooner because I spent years agonising over a decision that I didn't need to agonise over.
I found it better in every respect and so supportive, and the people are so lovely. So I have definitely made the right decision.
[The video ends with a graphic showing the Kent Fostering and Kent County Council logos. Graphic on screen says: 03000 420 002 and kentfostering.co.uk.]