From Trash to Cash: Dribbling a river

2cats1kid

Well done, Paula, you sound a lot more positive!

Toots, great news! Still amazed at what a sensible son you have.

Munchki, that sucks big time. Never ceases to amaze me what animals some people are.

Sudafed has kicked in so feeling a little better.

Trying to explain PR to DD now. I wonder if they still do Brit Con/Govt and Politics exams as I think she would enjoy that.

Rosie

Your peas will be fine mabel. I am leaving my beans until it warms up a bit, it really is bitterly cold here.

jo70mo

morning everyone.
Paula it all sounds good.
2cats hope you feel better soon.
everyone else - hi!!
rushing around this morning. at work soon but decided I needed to do a new blogpost first.
Just finished that so now time to get ready and go.
will be back later to catch up properly.
have fun.
Jo x

EMminently

Morning everyone Just a quick one from me too - i'm lying in bed still with a bowl of hot choc but i'm off out to the zoo today - being picked up in 20 mins so must dash...
Hope you all have fab days and enjoy your mini-moves.

Paula - your list sounds great, well done on your achievements. Don't want to overload you but it might be worth contacting children's services locally at some point (you may have done already) and expressing your interest in fostering, without commiting yourselves - they often run FREE child protection training and seminars etc and might be able to offer some to you, just a thought. Sounds like you've really got it mapped out though xxx

Got to run, got just 15 mins now bye all xxx

JoeyGrey

PaulaB, one of my long-term goals is to foster children. I started looking at it very seriously about 6 months ago but when I spoke to the fostering agencies they pointed out that although they are eager for single people to foster, they have to be in a financially secure situation as obviously there isn't another person to go and earn the money for the mortgage. Although you do get paid for fostering, it isn't guaranteed to be regular money and obviously I would need regular money to pay my way.

That is what started me thinking about paying my mortgage off and brought me back to this forum! I think I can probably get my mortgage paid in about 8 years time, so I'm going to get that done and then see if I still feel the same way.

My Plan B is to buy a house with a barn attached and turn it into a posh cattery!!

nixinixi

Munchki - Paddy has a good friend in you - I hope his cousin is ok (tell him that he has lots of random dribblers from all around the country sending their best!!)

Hi Skint!! hows the website etc going? Have you thought about having a blog and posting your cakes on there....... don't think you'd need to write much just - 'here is our latest cake for Jane's 50th birthday party' if you wanted to explain more you could...... like a diary of your work in pictures, which would also work as a publicity tool!? (Sorry random thought, which you might already be doing.......)

Em - have fun at the Zoo!! Em is it you that is in Paignton?

Paula - Em's advice was spot on. If you are seriously considering fostering in the future please consider that it can take up to 12months before you are eligble for a placement - you have to take training course, go through a very big assessment and then go in front of a panel to be approved. There can be delays at every stage.....waiting to go on training course, getting through all the paper work and waiting for a time slot to get in front of the panel. It can be done quicker but at the agency I worked for from the point of first contact through to being apporved was on average 12 months. It could be done quicker if there was a lot of experience etc . So can I suggest that maybe you start gathering your info now - e.g. contact your local authority and a few agencies and just start doing a bit of research so you know who you want to work for when you decide you are ready..... all agencies are slightly different but they tend to pay a bit more than LA. When I was working (about 7 years ago) I think it was about £350-£400 per week per child, but other important things for you is the amount of respite you get, 24 hour support, the process of what happens if a child alleges an incident....brain not thinking at mo. but I'd really research who you want to go with because some have terrible reputations for how they look after there carers, and the job is stressful enough so you need to have the supprt. If/when you are ready I will try and help more if I can, (I was PR and Marketing/first point of contact for an fostering agency for a few years!!)

Jo - love you new blog post - have posted a link to it on my blog, hope you don't mind... hope you have a good day at work and get lots of tips!

right off to look after my poorly boy.......

no ideas how what to do for todays mini move yet

nixinixi

Joey - if you are prepared to foster teenagers then I would be surprised if you have much free time at all, but if you only want babies...well so do most people lol. It really does depend on the age bracket you want....and that is affected by the age of your own family.

We had one family that fostered where both gave up employment and they lived to foster. In fact they kept extending there house to fit more kids in - when I left they had 5 in placement. and very rarely dropped below 4. (though it was hard for the agency when they wanted respite loL!) So they had over £1500 a week to run their house, they had a holiday home in France which they went to for every school holiday (with all the kids!) so overall everyone had a nice lifestyle and they didn't skimp on the kids, so worked for everyone, but hard work for them as some of the kids (teenagers) were quite a handful!

You need to pick an agency that gets alot of referrals from LA - basically a LA will look at their own carers frist and then offer out placements to agencies - you really want to be with an agency that the LA contacts alot - then there are alot of placements vailable. (I know I am talking about children here but there are more children in need than there are carers, especially if they are hard to place. If you can cope with a 'difficult' child, and get a long term placement you can have the same child for years, some had had one child from being 2/3 up to leaving school - but you need to be approved to keep the chaning age along the way.....sorry I am waffling now. Basically no one can guarantee an income for you, but once a carer has had there first placement (which to start with are normally short term/covering respite placement so you can adjust to everything and the agency can check you are coping then it isn't normal for a carer to be without a placement - as long as your placement criteria isn't too strict. I.e if you are apporved for 10-16year olds you will be busy, but if you only want new born babies you won't be. We were regularly running campaigns looking for carers for teenagers. During this month it will be fostering fortnight so there will be alot of promotional material around and coverage..... in fact a few of my FB friends are social workers for fostering agencies so if anyone wants more info please ask.

Sorry - I couldn't do it but I think fostering is fantastic, so I am tending to waffle!!

MummyandPaige

Morning everyone

Nixi - I think that is fantastic advice. I would love to do it, but I thin kit is for later in life as 1) I would like to foster older children (3-12) and your own children cannot be younger 2) Finacially, now is not a good time and 3) CRB check, well, there is no way OH is going to pass that one (don't ask). Bit for Paula and all those who do do it, well done.

Em - have fun at the zoo, hope it doesn't rain!

I have gone and hit something on the grabbit board to do with a new foru layout and now my screen looks all funny

I have decided, books are not a bad thing, they make money and are easy to source. I have desovered the problem is the amount of time I have versus how much is needed. Last weekend, I sold 7 in a day, the most yet, and, although I have a lot of 1p books up, the higher priced ones are going too. Its not a lot, but I am making about £20 profit a week of them, consistantly, so its not that bad.

NLID - I am just fine tuning the idea in my head, will get onto you at some point today.

Turbolister for me today, been avoiding it, but must get on.

nixinixi

I would like to offer some PR support to a local charity I think.... but not sure how to choose charities to offer my services too. I want it to be a local charity not part of a big national organisation..... I am creating (slowly) an FB page for my business would it be inappropriate to ask for charities to ask for my services and the me choose one? I know I could press release to publicise it/me too? is that wrong to turn it into a publicity? I am being a bit premature, and might have to wait till september when I have a couple more hours free....what do you think?

2cats1kid

If you're worried about seedlings and have plastic bottles going in the recycling, they make decent mini cloches. Cut them in half and pop them over the plants. Helps to keep them moist, keeps them a bit protected from the elements, and discourages slugs etc. too. Most of my little plants have random bottle ends, plastic cups etc. over them at the moment! Not pretty, but cheap and effective.