Herefordshire Council’s fostering team provide a good service with some outstanding features according to an inspection report published by Ofsted this month.

The council operates both adoption and fostering services which are inspected separately by the regulatory body Ofsted.  The fostering service recruits, assesses, supports and trains carers so that they can look after children in a number of different ways.  A variety of placement types are required for children in care depending on the child’s needs including emergency, short-term, long-term, kinship, respite care and teenage placement schemes.

Herefordshire Council’s Fostering team was inspected on the 8th January by Ofsted inspector, Suzanne Young.  In her report, she commented on the excellent consultative practices being developed by young people and the team’s work to encourage children and young people to share their views n the services they receive and need.

Last year’s inspection (2007) judged the service to be good and Ms Young praised the improvements that had been made in 2008, particularly in relation to the revision of a smoking policy and compliance to make sure children and young people are looked after in a safe environment.

In consultation with the young people, the fostering service has created a comprehensive health passport for each looked after child and young person to keep and share with future carers.  The inspector reported this initiative was excellent practice ensuring all children’s health needs are accurately identified and understood by everybody involved.

The report says that children and young people’s welfare is promoted within the fostering service by actively encouraging positive contact with birth families and through excellent consultative practices.  The Voices project was singled out for praise as a service dedicated to ensuring young people’s views are heard.  Helping children make a positive contribution was judged to be outstanding.

The report concluded that children in Herefordshire are protected from harm or neglect, are helped to stay safe, receive well organised services, achieve well and enjoy what they do.  Children and young people also receive excellent support to meet their educational needs and to maximise their potential in education which is promoted through links between the school and foster placements.

Councillor Jenny Hyde, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We are proud of the service we provide for our young people and are delighted to have received so many positive comments in the inspection report.  

“We will continue working with our children and young people to improve the quality and standards of care even further and to make sure the services they receive give them the best possible start in life.  

“Well done to the fostering team and the young people themselves who have played such an instrumental role in shaping the services they enjoy.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is warning people to be extra careful not to start fires during the recent period of hot weather.
Dried out grass verges and hedgerows can easily catch light if people are careless with cigarettes or don't extinguish fires or barbecues properly.
Head of Community Safety Stuart Skilton said: “During warmer weather grass and crop fires can be serious problem for the Service and tie up a huge amount of our valuable firefighting resources. We want to encourage people to take care and think about what they’re doing. For example, drivers should refrain from discarding cigarettes through car windows while driving along as this, combined with dry grass verges and hedgerows, can easily lead to fires.”
He added: “Another major problem for us is children deliberately setting fires so, if you are a parent, we urge you to warn them of the dangers of fire, as well as keeping matches and lighters out of their reach.”

By following these important safety tips people can help to prevent fires starting in the first place:
• Don't discard cigarettes out of car windows as this can set light to grass verges and
grassland areas
• Don't light fires in the countryside or drop litter which could be set fire to
• Don't accumulate rubbish which can act as potential fuel for deliberate fire setters
• Contact your local district or borough council to arrange collection of unwanted furniture, or to report abandoned vehicles or fly tipped waste
• Extinguish bonfires and barbecues properly
• Keep matches and lighters out of the way of young children and remind them that they are not toys
• If you are a parent you are strongly advised not to leave youngsters to wander in the countryside unsupervised. Ensure that they are aware of the dangers of fire
• Report any information on fire setting activities and those responsible (anonymously if need be) to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

Renting a car in Belfast allows you to explore not just the buzzing city centre, but also the breath-taking scenery of the nearby coastline The following is a guide to your perfect Belfast getaway

Herefordshire Council has published population forecasts for the county to 2026, which show that the county’s population of older people will continue to grow, while the number of children is expected to decline until 2016, before stabilising at this lower level.

Herefordshire Council’s research team produces projections and forecasts of the future resident population of the county of Herefordshire.  These are based on Office for National Statistics estimates and take account of nationally predicted trends in fertility, mortality and migration, as well as the likely number of new houses in the county.

The results are used to help plan for the future, to make sure there are the right levels of services for different groups in the population.

Key results from the newly published 2006-based principal population forecasts suggest that the total population in 2026 will have grown by nine percent from 2006, but that the number of under-16 year olds will continue to fall until 2016.

The number of 16 to 64 year olds will continue to increase very slightly until 2011, but will then begin to fall steadily as the post-war ‘baby-boomers’ move into retirement age and are replaced by smaller groups of young adults.  By 2026 this age group will have reduced to 103,600 people (five per cent fewer than in 2006).

Whilst the younger population is declining, the number of people aged 65 and over is forecast to continue increasing, but more rapidly than in recent years.  By 2026 the number of Herefordshire residents of this age is forecast to be 68 per cent higher than in 2006.  In particular the number of people aged 85 and over is expected to more than double from 4,800 in 2006 to 10,200 in 2026.

Councillor June French, cabinet member for corporate, customer services and human resources, said: “Herefordshire Council is continually planning for the future and such population forecasts are a very important part of that planning process.”

The population forecasts will be used by organisations and agencies across the county to plan commercial and public services.  They are available on the council’s website www.herefordshire.gov.uk/research.

Have you ever stopped to think what it is about golf that you like so much Some people would say that it allows them to enjoy a form of exercise that is not quite so strenuous as running or jogging on the treadmill or pedaling on the exercise bike

Window tinting is not just meant for teenagers, drug dealers and under cover cops, but now-a-days, more and more people are tinting their vehicles and home windows Most mothers want their windows and vehicles tinted as it provides 99% protection from the harmful ultra violet rays for their children