Skip to main content
GOV.UK

Blog: Children’s social care

Organisations:
Department for Education

Kinship care: turning ambition into lived experience

Image of a person's face and neck, featuring earrings and a shirt

Kinship care: turning ambition into lived experience

To mark the 10th anniversary of Kinship Care Week, National Kinship Care Ambassador, Dr Jahnine Davis, sets out why recognising kinship care is so important.

Read more of Kinship care: turning ambition into lived experience

“No matter what walk of life you come from, you can make a difference.”

Posted by: Joseph Kaley CertHE (Law), Posted on: 25 October 2023 - Categories: Care leavers

Joseph Kaley CertHE (Law), shares his experience of working on the internship scheme, from how he got there and the application process, to how he has progressed since.

Read more of “No matter what walk of life you come from, you can make a difference.” - 1 comment

Our same-sex adoption story

Posted by: Ian Tomney-Bell, Posted on: 16 October 2023 - Categories: Adoption

Ian Tomney-Bell shares his family’s inspiring adoption journey - from challenging parts of the journey, to the special moment they met their daughter Aspen.

Read more of Our same-sex adoption story

My kinship care journey

Posted by: Shanayd Warren, Posted on: 2 October 2023 - Categories: Kinship care
Shanayd smiling with the child she cares for as a kinship carer.

Shanayd Warren tells us about her personal experience of kinship care, and how she supported her elder sister and her niece in unexpected circumstances.

Read more of My kinship care journey - 1 comment

Being an Independent Visitor to a looked after child

Posted by: Jayne Yerou, Posted on: 14 September 2023 - Categories: Wellbeing

Jayne Yerou, commercial insurance lead at the Department for Education explains her experience of being an Independent Visitor. As a naturally warm and supportive person, she has thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the young person she visits, and they have developed a strong bond.

Read more of Being an Independent Visitor to a looked after child

Providing a safe, nurturing environment through foster care

Posted by: Maria Ekeke, Posted on: 24 May 2023 - Categories: Foster care
Maria and Rob photo

Maria and Robert have been foster carers since 2010 and have fostered over 50 children and young people to date. In this blog, Maria shares their journey to becoming foster carers and how they support children and young people.

Read more of Providing a safe, nurturing environment through foster care - 4 comments

Creating a smooth transition from education into the world of work

Posted by: Kate James, Posted on: 29 March 2023 - Categories: SEND & Alternative Provision

As a job coach, Kate James shares advice for helping young people with SEND to gain and sustain suitable paid employment.

Read more of Creating a smooth transition from education into the world of work

Starting a career in children's social work

Posted by: Natalie - Step Up graduate, Posted on: 24 March 2023 - Categories: Working in children's social care
Step Up to Social Work - be the difference

Natalie qualified as a social worker in April 2021 and shares her experience of the Step Up to Social Work alongside advice for others looking to join the programme or current undergraduates.

Read more of Starting a career in children's social work

The Step Up to Social Work journey

Posted by: Isaac - Step Up graduate, Posted on: 23 March 2023 - Categories: Working in children's social care
Step Up to Social Work image

Isaac graduated from the Step Up to Social Work programme this year and shares his journey throughout the training programme.

Read more of The Step Up to Social Work journey

Bringing specialists to children not children to specialists

Posted by: Natalie Byron, Posted on: 6 March 2023 - Categories: SEND & Alternative Provision
City of Birmingham School’s Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce team

Natalie Byron, team manager for the City of Birmingham School’s Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST), explains her team's role in re-engaging children in their education and protecting those who are at risk of serious violence and exploitation.

Read more of Bringing specialists to children not children to specialists

Inspiring change through lived experience of SEND

Posted by: Nandi Caine, Posted on: 2 March 2023 - Categories: SEND & Alternative Provision
Lincolnshire Young Voices committee members

Nandi Caine, chair of Lincolnshire Young Voices (LYV), discusses her role in supporting a pan-disability group of children and young people to improve service delivery for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Read more of Inspiring change through lived experience of SEND
Previous page
  • Page 1
  • …
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • …
  • Page 9
Next page

Related content and links

About the Children's Social Care Blog

A Department for Education blog for children's social care professionals, written by your peers.

From inspiring personal stories, to professional tips and advice, find a blog you can relate to.

Covering topics including working in the sector, kinship care, wellbeing, and leadership.

Find out more about the blog and sign up to receive email updates when new posts are added.

Read more

Sign up and manage updates

  • Email
  • Atom

Follow us on social media

  • DfE on X
  • DfE on Facebook
  • DfE on Instagram
  • DfE on LinkedIn
  • DfE on YouTube

Comments and moderation

Read our guidelines

Recent Posts

  • Tackling the loneliness of leaving care August 25, 2026
  • Foster care standards reform: what's changing and why July 17, 2026
  • Foster Care Fortnight: the tiny quiet wins May 22, 2026
  • Building a kinship care offer that works: a principal social worker's perspective May 14, 2026
  • Foster Care Fortnight: The village that raised me May 14, 2026

Useful links

  • All GOV.UK blogs
  • All GOV.UK blog posts
  • GOV.UK
  • All departments
  • Accessibility statement
  • Cookies
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated
© Crown copyright