Nutrition & Children in Care
Children in the care system are some of the most vulnerable children in the UK. For those who have experienced neglect, there may have been a period of months or years of poor nutrition . Any nutrition related illnesses will be picked up as part of the health assessment process but moving children over to a life-long healthy diet can be a huge challenge for foster carers and adoptive parents.
Reading the BAAF Recipes for Fostering Project is an inspiration and I'd recommend everyone have a look at this little book. Having worked in children's social care for more than twenty years before retraining as a Nutritional Therapist, I have a real commitment to this group of children and aim to support carers in providing the right kinds of food for these vulnerable children as part of my nutrition practice.
I believe that the time children are first placed in families is one of the most critical times. The children are already under stress and sometimes, in our rush to do the very best for them, we may try to 'make everything right' too quickly, including their diets - I believe a step by step approach to changing nutrition is one of the best ways of supporting both the emotional and physical needs of these vulnerable children. My approach is to start with encouraging the children to sit down with you for family meals and letting them maintain some of their favourite 'unhealthy' food habits for a while- the most important thing right at the beginning is for them to experience your care and a warm happy family life where they are accepted and feel safe. From there, favourite foods can be gradually 'converted' into healthy nutritious meals with a little imagination, dedication, a stack of recipe books and plenty of patience.
I am currently consulting with carers to find out the best ways of offering nutritional support. If you are a carer and would like to participate in the survey (only 5 questions) please click here
Services for Foster Carers and Adoptive Parents
Workshop events
We are currently scoping whether there is demand for small workshop events for carers focusing on nutrition and preparing healthy meals. If you are interested in this type of event please Contact Us and we will keep you up to date with this new initiative.