Family Life

How to Make Family Meetings Work for Stronger Bonds

Family meetings can be a great way for parents, foster carers, and children to connect, communicate, and strengthen their relationships. By setting aside dedicated time to check in, share feelings, and solve problems, families can gain understanding, improve cooperation , and build trust. Here are some tips for making your family meetings a success.

Schedule Regularly

The first step is to establish a consistent schedule for your family meetings. Sit down together and decide on a regular schedule that works for everyone, such as weekly or monthly. Mark it clearly in your calendars...

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Ellie Green

Ellie Green

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Major new study will show how widening inequalities in education and employment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will impact children’s life prospects

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 02/28/2022 - 9:43pm

A major new study will show how widening inequalities in education and employment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will impact children’s life prospects.

Experts hope their work – which includes a comparison of the life chances for today’s young people with those who started jobs during the 2008 recession - will help UK governments and policymakers to develop long term recovery plans to improve outcomes for all children.

The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is led by Professor Lee Elliot Major, from the University of Exeter and Professor Stephen Machin and Andrew...

Free webinars to help parents and carers of teenagers or pre-teens

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 02/25/2022 - 12:32pm

An online series of webinars starting next month aim to help parents and carers understand and support their teenagers to navigate the challenges they might face as they grow up in today’s world .

‘Let’s Talk Teenagers’ is a three part webinar for parents and carers of teenagers or pre-teens. The sessions cover different subject areas starting with communities and family life (March 8) and followed by respectful relationships (March 15) and building stronger families (March 22), all at 7pm.

It’s the result of a Devon partnership of professionals and local networks that...

Charity says number of couples in conflict soared during the pandemic, despite drop in divorce rates

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 02/15/2022 - 2:38pm

National Family Mediation (NFM), a charity which helps families to sort arrangements for children, property, finance and other important matters, says that nosediving divorce statistics is not a true representation of the number of families in conflict.

According to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) the number of divorces completed in 2020 was 103,592. A 4.5% drop on the previous year.

However, while the data suggests more people are working through their problems and choosing to stay together, experts say that isn’t the case.

Jane...

The importance of parent and child fostering

Authored by Ellie Green
Posted: Mon, 02/14/2022 - 10:17am

When you think of fostering, you’ll likely think of taking in a child or teenager and looking after them until the time is right for them to move on to a permanent home. However, in some cases, parent and child fostering is needed. This means that not only will the child come to live with you, but so too will at least one of their parents.

Most parent and child fostering placements last from between 12 and 26 weeks, and it’s a chance for a new parent to understand more about how to take care of their baby and what it means to be a parent. These services are hugely important, but...

Kids playing in the woods

The Outdoors Group to open next forest school at Escot

Authored by Sue Cade
Posted: Wed, 02/09/2022 - 10:15am

There’s a new opportunity for children in Exeter and East Devon to enjoy outdoor learning and play as The Outdoors Group launches its latest forest school at Escot Estate.

Opening just after February half term ‘The Forest School at Escot’ is located in a section of Black Aller Woods, a stunning plot of mixed woodland with an ever-changing setting including carpets of bluebells throughout Spring.

Head of Forest Schools, Nick Murphy explains how the new site came about. “We’d been looking for a suitable plot of woodland for a while and when we walked into Black Aller we knew...

Discover the leader of the pack at The Donkey Sanctuary

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 02/03/2022 - 10:52pm

This February half term, head to The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth and find out which adoption donkey has the loudest bray, the longest ears, or who is the most playful, in the Adoption Donkey Top Trumps Trail.

Follow the trail around the sanctuary to find the giant Top Trumps cards and discover which adoption donkey comes out on top in each round. This exciting family activity is a great way to explore the sanctuary, combining fun, exercise and brainpower.

Set in the heart of the rolling East Devon countryside, The Donkey Sanctuary has something to keep everyone...

Don’t miss out on up to £2,000 towards childcare costs

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 01/26/2022 - 11:50pm

Thousands of working families in the South West could be missing out on an opportunity to get up to £2,000 a year to help with the cost of childcare, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding parents, ahead of February half term.

Tax-Free Childcare – the 20% childcare top-up – provides eligible working families with up to £500 every three months (or £1,000 if their child is disabled) towards the cost of holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other accredited childcare schemes.

More than 26,600 working families used the scheme in...

Helping local, family-run businesses thrive 

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 01/17/2022 - 10:31pm

A young, female entrepreneur, who recently took over the family business from her Mum, has launched a programme to help other youngsters prepare for running their family business.

The South West is home to thousands of family-run businesses. In fact 92.1% of ALL private firms here are family-owned - the highest concentration in the country. Chances are, most people reading this article are part of a family business or work with one on a regular basis.

When you say ‘family business’ it conjures up images of personal service, quality and trustworthiness. Cider makers, farm...

My New Year's resolution? A divorce!

Authored by Liv Butler
Posted: Mon, 01/17/2022 - 12:14pm

It’s not surprising that solicitor divorce enquiries surge following the stressful festive period every January. According to statistics, around 42% of marriages end in divorce and in 2019 there were 108, 421 in the UK.

Divorcing can be one of the most stressful and turbulent periods of your life, often with families, living arrangements and finances to worry about. If you are considering a divorce, then it’s always worth finding out the legal facts and procedures from a reputable family lawyer, if you are looking for advice or information, this page lists the best divorce...

Foster carers needed across Exeter as England gears up for nation-wide career change

With more than half of Britons intending to make changes to their careers because of the coronavirus pandemic, a national social enterprise is calling on people across Exeter to consider ‘a rewarding career in fostering’.

The UK is currently undergoing a substantial career assessment following the coronavirus pandemic, in what many economists are calling ‘The Great Resignation’. A recent report has found 60% of people intend to make changes to their career as a result of the pandemic and a quarter of respondents plan to move jobs within three to six months.

With over 35...

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