FOCUS ON FOSTERING WEEK 2008
03 – 07 November 2008
FOCUS ON FOSTERING WEEK 2008:The HSE and IFCA ran a Focus on Fostering week from the 3rd - 7th November 2008. All branches and members participated in this event. The weeks events were launched at the Mansion House in Dawson Street on Sunday 2nd November, in the company of the Lord Mayor Eibhlin Byrne.
Pictured at the launch were Ciaran Hanly, Kevin Hanly, Alanna Hartly , Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, Sean McGrath, Ashleigh Morrin (2) Joseph Morrin and Rachael O'Malley.
Pictured at the launch from left to right, Anne Rennison IFCA, Mary Cummins HSE, Hugh Kane HSE, Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, Justice Catherine McGuinness, Lord Mayor Eibhlin Byrne, Aidan Waterstone HSE, Tim Hanly HSE, Deirdre McTeigue IFCA.
The Irish Foster Care Association (IFCA) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) today (Sunday 2nd November 2008) launched Focus on Fostering Week 2008 at a special reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Eibhlin Byrne, in the Mansion House.
On hand to launch the initiative, which runs from 3rd to 7th November 2008, were foster parents and children, television personality Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, and representatives of the IFCA and HSE staff who implement fostering services throughout Ireland. Picture Nick Bradshaw/fotonic
HSE and IFCA win Award for Excellence in Communications for Focus on Fostering campaign
The HSE in conjunction with the Irish Foster Care Association won best Public Information campaign award at the Public Relations Consultants' Excellence in Public Relations Awards 2009 for its Focus of Fostering Week campaign which ran in November last year. It is the first time that the HSE has entered these awards.
On winning the PRCA award, Fidelma Browne, Head of Public Information, HSE said, "Focus on Fostering was one of our most successful public information campaigns last year, and shows what we can achieve using our own resources and the strong support of both the Irish Foster Care Association and our own HSE colleagues. Fostering Teams across the country participated in the planning and the execution of this campaign, and we were thrilled with the response from the public and the increase in enquiries about becoming a foster parent - a job which really can change the life of a child. We are delighted to win an award on our first entry and thank the judging panel for acknowledging the success and fantastic results of the Focus on Fostering campaign.
The HSE and IFCA joined forces in November 2008 to promote ‘Focus on Fostering Week' and raise awareness of fostering, thereby assisting HSE Fostering Teams in their efforts to recruit foster carers. This was the first time that both organisations officially teamed up to launch Focus on Fostering week resulting in an integrated approach and pooling of resources to promote the benefits of fostering. This joint campaign was one of a range of outputs from many years of conjoint working between the HSE and important stakeholder organisations such as IFCA. The aim of the campaign, entitled ‘Could you give a child a chance?' was to raise awareness of fostering and to assist HSE Local Health Offices in recruiting foster carers.