Fun Day for Dorset Homestays

During mid-term, we organized a fun family day for our host community at the South West Regional Assessment Center (SWRAC), near Dorchester.

The event was a great success with 18 families present, made up of 21 accompanying adults and 37 children and young people. The children ranged in age from just six weeks to 17 years old, and included a mix of foster families, their biological children and the children and young people in their care.

The day started with a scavenger hunt, followed by kite flying, arts, crafts and clay, and lunchtime pizza making. The children and young people were abthe to enjoy and engage with nature, some even taking the resident goats and donkeys for a walk.

The main focus of the day was to build relationships and carefree fun for children and young people, while creating an opportunity for families to connect in person.

The event allowed us to build trust with the younger members of our host community and gave them the opportunity to share “what they think a good host family does”. This valuable feedback has been gathered and will help shape Dorset Council’s prospective foster parent recruitment.

Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council portfolio holder for children, education, skills and early help, said:

“Family days like this are so important because they give our host community a chance to bond with each other, and it has given us a valuable opportunity to hear directly from those being hosted.

“Everyone had a great time and the feedback we’ve received has been really positive. I was delighted to be invited to come and participate in the activities and we look forward to hosting more events like this for our families throughout the year.

A member of our host community who attended the day said:

“Thank you for a wonderful day, we really enjoyed it. It was my first experience of a ‘peer rally’ and I hope there will be many more”

Future events for our host community

Based on the success and feedback from this event, Dorset Council’s Voices of Youth team, alongside the Virtual School and Homestay team, will be planning more of these events for any the family all year round to ensure there is something for everyone.

If you would like more information about activities and events organized by Dorset Council’s Youth Voice team, you can contact them directly by emailing [email protected]

Find out more about the virtual school or contact them directly via email: [email protected]

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