We are really passionate about seeing looked after children thrive in their choices around healthy, consensual relationships. Statistically, children in care are more vulnerable to child sexual exploitation (CSE) and sexual harm, but this can be significantly reduced by having a safe, consistent environment and learning the skills to recognise risky or exploitative relationships.
At the heart of this is the support of caring and trustworthy foster carers who they can talk to without judgement or shame: important role models in the young people’s lives.
This is why we are excited to be working in partnership with Foster4, which was set up in 2024 to promote and support foster carers. We have been providing free workshops for foster carers in eight local authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside.
These workshops facilitate conversations around how to discuss important topics at home, such as relationships, puberty, consent, sex and media, along with tips for answering tricky questions.
Many foster carers work with a wide age range of children, from babies to teenagers, so our Relationships and Sex Education timeline, which looks at what topics to discuss at home and when, can help them to start conversations that will keep their young people safe from CSE and relational abuse later on in life.
Simple strategies such as talking about TV storylines over dinner, or looking at the lyrics of popular songs, can open up a means of discussing these topics.
We encourage the foster carers to participate in simple activities that they can then try out at home.
The workshops have been very well received: carers say they have come away feeling more comfortable and confident with having conversations about healthy relationships and sex, and that the content of the session is full of useful information and strategies.
We are really glad to be working with these amazing carers and would love to reach out to more local authorities across the Northwest. If you would like to know more about this, please email info@acet-uk.com for details.