ANCHOR

Strengthening Support, Anchoring Safety

ANCHOR is a specialised trauma informed, neuro diverse sensitive workshop designed for foster carers, focusing on the critical intersections of childhood trauma, extra-familial harm, and effective corporate parenting responses. The programme will equip foster carers with the knowledge, practical tools, and strategies to support children affected by trauma and extra-familial harm.

The programme is delivered by a highly skilled social care manager with over 30 years’ experience specialising in services to vulnerable children and families from early years through to statutory child protective services. She has extensive expertise in working with vulnerable children and their families affected by grooming, exploitation, and youth violence. She adopts a trauma informed, neuro diverse sensitive framework to enhance foster carers understanding of extra familial harm and impact on children in their care.

ANCHOR will emphasise the negative impact and increasing recognition of peer-on-peer abuse, grooming, exploitation, missing, county lines, gang involvement, knife crime and serious youth violence via a trauma informed lens. Foster carers will be armed with key learning to appreciate the negative impact on behaviours, and their duty for timely and effective supervision which underscores the urgent need for this targeted training. ANCHOR will enhance foster carer competence by addressing challenges, providing essential insights into recognizing and responding to abuse and will equip foster carers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to provide timely, responsive and safe care.

With a focus on understanding childhood trauma, ANCHOR will equip foster carers with vital skills to identify deterioration in children’s holistic health and behaviours, and contribute to the overall well-being of children. Learning will improve understanding of trauma responses and vulnerabilities, to promote creation of more nurturing environments that promotes awareness, healing, resilience and safety to Children Looked After.

Investing in ANCHOR represents a strategic decision for commissioners seeking to enhance the quality of foster care services, and secure placements for children. By focusing on trauma-informed practices and the recognition of extra-familial harm, ANCHOR not only empowers foster carers but also fosters a safer and more supportive environment for the children they serve. Investing in ANCHOR will support local authority goals as it aligns with objectives to evidence robust safeguarding practices, and commitment to provision of a child first approach to high-quality care where the welfare of Children Looked After is prioritised.

KEY AMBITIONS OF ANCHOR

  1. Enhance understanding of childhood trauma, its long-term impacts, and children’s vulnerability to exploitation.
  2. Identification of grooming tactics to develop trauma informed responses that align with best practice
  3. Understanding risk factors to promote safety, stability and improved outcomes for Children Looked After.
  4. Support children to identify and adopt violence reduction strategies
  5. To build trust and foster resilience in children to improve emotional regulation
  6. Illuminate commonly used strategies, language and terminology adopted by exploiters
  7. Support organisational goals by building collaborative networks that promote school reengagement
  8. Strengthen family rebuilding efforts and safe communication to foster healthy relationships.

Get In Touch

For more information or any questions about ANCHOR, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We endeavour to respond within two working days.