The helpline number is 028 7051 1086 (open Monday - Thursday 8am to 5pm and Friday 8am to 4pm). These terms and conditions concern the use of the website, including the use of the online offers, gift cards and other saving options on the website. Guidance on whether or not children classed as vulnerable should attend school while schools were closed to the majority has been slightly different in each of the four nations. Most online applications for people with no police information should be processed within five business days. Northern Ireland The Blue Light Card is a nationwide discount card scheme that is available to those working in the NHS, emergency services, armed forces, social care and more. Terms of Service apply. This means that you will not be able to provide care for children and young people and any children or young people currently in your care will require a new care arrangement until you have received your new blue card or exemption card approval. The blue card system has changed. When Blue Light Card is mentioned below it will refer to Blue Light Card Ltd and will cover its employees, directors or shareholders. Blue Card Services will advise you via a text message or email to confirm that you have been linked to Child Safety. Minimal updates will be made to this site until after the election results are declared. The Education Auhtority has established a helpline, open to all foster carers, to provide support for learning. Hello. Governments’ guidance (in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Scottish Government has not produced specific guidance on contact) from the outset has been clear that the expectation is for contact between children in care and their birth families to continue as it is essential for children and families to remain in touch and, for many children, the consequences of not seeing relatives would be traumatising. Any children or young people placed in your care will require a new care arrangement until you receive your new blue card or exemption card approval. He is very small for his age, possibly due to neglect and malnutrition. Our website uses cookies, which are small text files that are widely used in order to make websites work more effectively. Mainly that was if they also had self employed income, or their partners were working. Most online applications for people with no police information should be processed within five business days. Guidance on local restrictions is contained within each of these links. To access this service you must foster a young person in Northern Ireland. We believe the key will be planning on a case by case basis, taking into account all the relevant factors in determining the best approach for each child in the context of the continued health risks in relation to Covid-19. If you are a provisionally approved carer you will have lodged your blue card or exemption card application at the time of applying to be a foster or kinship carer. Blue card screening assesses a person's eligibility to hold a blue card based on their known past police and disciplinary information. The Nuffield Family Justitce Observatory have completed research on contact during lockdown exploring, The Mental Health Foundation has collated resources around mental health and, The Royal College of Occupational Therapy has produced some, The children's parliament in Scotland have launched, North Lanarkshire Council Communication Friendly Team have also produced, ParentClub have updated their website to include guidance on, The Department for Education in England has published. The Welsh Government has reassured us that they are in regular communication with fostering services, that they are monitoring the financial situation of foster carers and if a fostering agency is considering offering additional monetary support to their foster carers they should consult the AFA Cymru guidance document. Since March 2020, we have provided emergency IT provision (mainly devices) to children who are looked after. MA Education is part of the Mark Allen Group. Your link with Child Safety will automatically carry over if you renew your card on time. People from different households are able to meet outside while adhering to social/physical distancing rules (see country guidelines for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). The Fostering Network believes foster carers should be treated as key workers because they are delivering an essential service. All blue cards and exemption cards are valid for 3 years.