Welcome to a new three-part series, in collaboration with Hampshire County Council’s Fostering Service, called Hampshire Hive: Fostering Through a Community of Families.
Hampshire Hive is a support network funded by Hampshire County Council that assists fostering families across the county. Each hive consists of a small number of fostering families who support one another in their local area, with one of them, known as the Hive carer support worker, co-ordinating this support.
There are now 27 Hampshire Hive groups, with 23 Hive carer support workers and over 500 registered foster carers collectively.
In this episode, you will hear from one of these foster carers - Johnny - who was involved in the original pilot scheme for the service back in 2021, and Amy, the team manager of Hampshire Hive. Both highlight how this community-focused fostering support network has been so transformational for foster families in the county.
If you would like to find out more about fostering with Hampshire County Council, please visit its fostering service website to download the council's comprehensive information pack. You can also sign up for one of the service's upcoming virtual Q&A sessions, attended by both a member of the recruitment team and a Hampshire County Council foster carer.
About The Social Work Community Podcast
The Social Work Community Podcast explores the issues that matter to social work practitioners in their working lives. Senior commercial editors Kirsty Ayakwah and Sharmeen Ziauddin interview experienced and inspiring guests, including frontline social workers who speak from the heart about their jobs, the sector and society.
It was nominated in the podcast category at the 2024 BASW Social Work Journalism Awards following its first season, which ran from October 2023 to April 2024.
It can be found on all major podcasting platforms including:
Click ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’ on your podcast app so you know when a new episode is published.You can also listen to the episode here: Listen to "Hampshire Hive: a fostering support network - a conversation with Amy and Johnny" on Spreaker.
Access the transcript here Click ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’ on your podcast app so you know when a new episode is published.
