Family Life

What Stress Can Do To Your Child (And How to Act on It)

Stress is often thought of as an adult problem, but children can experience stress, too. School pressures, social challenges, family changes, and even busy schedules can all contribute to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. While some stress is a normal part of growing up, prolonged or excessive stress can affect a child's emotional, physical, and behavioural wellbeing.

Understanding how stress can impact your child is the first step towards helping them manage it effectively. By recognising the signs early and providing the right support, parents can help their children build...

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Local dementia day-care not -for-profit urges families to seek support earlier

A local not-for-profit dementia care and support service, The Filo Project , is using this Dementia Action Week to encourage families across the region to reach out for help sooner and to challenge common myths that can prevent people from getting the support they need.

There are around one million people with the dementia in the UK, and Alzheimer’s Society estimates over 21,000 people over the age of 65 are living with dementia in the NHS Devon ICS area. Yet one in three people with dementia do not have a diagnosis and struggle to access the help and support they need.

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Celebrating Devon’s Foster Carers in Fostering Fortnight 2026 – ‘This is Fostering’

Across the UK, hundreds of foster carers open their homes to provide love, stability, and care to children and young people in need. But many more foster carers are urgently needed to ensure every child can be matched with the right home for their individual needs.

In Devon, we have 271 approved foster homes but 810 children in need of care. Many children are placed with families outside the county, away from their communities, or in care homes so we need to find more loving homes within Devon.

We are seeing more people come forward this year, with more than 30 potential...

Children say foster parents are their 'rock' as agency is Ofsted Outstanding

A fostering agency where ‘children do exceptionally well’ has received an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating following its latest inspection in February 2026.

Foster parents at Foster Care Associates (FCA) South Western, in Exeter were praised for being ‘fierce advocates’ for children in their care and for ensuring children’s stability in their homes.

The report highlighted the agency’s therapist who supports foster parents, staff and children and young people, describing their input as ‘invaluable in helping them develop practical, bespoke strategies that make a positive...

Saying Goodbye: Exeter to remember babies that did not get to stay

Each year, over 30 million families worldwide experience the heartbreak of losing a baby, with around 258,000 losses in the UK alone. For many, there is no funeral, no memorial, and little support to acknowledge the life that was lost.

To address this, Mariposa International launched the ‘Saying Goodbye’ remembrance services in 2012 at Exeter Cathedral. Since then, over 260 services have taken place across seven countries, allowing tens of thousands of families to honour babies lost during pregnancy, at birth, or in infancy.

The services are deeply moving, blending music...

‘Every Parent Day’ shines a spotlight on Exeter foster carers and their life-changing impact on the lives of young people

A South West fostering agency is celebrating its foster carers' dedication ahead of Mother’s Day with ‘Every Parent Day’.

Swiis Foster Care is recognising the invaluable contribution of foster carers who provide safe, loving homes to children and young people, marking the occasion with a celebration coffee morning and presentation of gifts.

‘Every Parent Day’, held just before Mother’s Day in the UK, acknowledges that fostering is a role embraced by people from all walks of life and that it’s not just mothers who foster.

To mark this occasion, Swiis Foster Care...

Pension inequality after divorce still leaving women behind, warns family lawyer ahead of International Women’s Day

With International Women’s Day 2026 approaching, Rachel Buckley of The Family Law Company is urging divorcing couples to pay closer attention to pensions, warning that women continue to face a significant shortfall in retirement savings after separation.

Although pensions have been recognised as a matrimonial asset in England and Wales since pension sharing was introduced in 2000, inequality remains widespread. Research from now:pensions and the Pensions Policy Institute shows divorced women face a pension gap of 61 per cent compared with divorced men, equivalent to an average...

How to Encourage Independence Safely at Every Age

Parenting is the only job where the ultimate aim is to be made redundant. You spend years holding a child close, only to spend the next decade slowly loosening your grip. The objective is to raise an adult who can stand on their own two feet, make sensible decisions, and function without you hovering over their shoulder. However, handing over the reins is rarely straightforward. It requires patience , nerve, and a scaffolded approach that respects the child’s current capabilities rather than just their age.

Start Small in the Early Years

Autonomy starts long before a child asks...

Exeter Children’s Venue Alibi and St Thomas Library join forces to create a story wonderland during half-term

Free drop-in event celebrates National Year of Reading with week-long programme of stories, crafts, and creativity

Families across Exeter and the wider region are invited to step into a wonderland of free creative activities for children this February half-term.

Children’s venue Alibi are teaming up with St Thomas Library to present The Story Box (16-21 February) celebrating the 2026 National Year of Reading.

Emmanuel Hall, home of both Alibi and St Thomas Library, will transform into a giant library filled with cosy reading corners, creative play spaces, and a welcoming...

Devon welcomes Government drive to raise profile of fostering

The Government’s announcement to recruit 10,000 new foster carers by 2029 has been welcomed by Devon County Council.

The plans, backed with £88 million over the next two years, are part of a government drive to provide more loving homes to vulnerable children while improving support for foster carers and tackling the shortage of carers.

Declining numbers of fostering households is a national issue, and in Devon the number of approved fostering households has fallen by a third since 2020.

Devon County Council committed a £2million investment to its fostering...

Coping Strategies for Families of Alcoholics

It’s fair to say that alcoholism doesn’t just affect the person that is living with it. While they are, of course, the primary concern and they’re the one that needs help to get their life back on track, it can be a challenging period of time for friends, colleagues and family alike.

For family members in particular seeing a loved one go through addiction can be tough, and it’s important to ensure they get the alcohol help they need. For you, as a family member, it’s also valuable to find methods and strategies to look after yourself and the rest of the family too. So here are...

Family Life

What Stress Can Do To Your Child (And How to Act on It)

Local dementia day-care not -for-profit urges families to seek support earlier

Celebrating Devon’s Foster Carers in Fostering Fortnight 2026 – ‘This is Fostering’

Children say foster parents are their 'rock' as agency is Ofsted Outstanding

Saying Goodbye: Exeter to remember babies that did not get to stay

‘Every Parent Day’ shines a spotlight on Exeter foster carers and their life-changing impact on the lives of young people

Pension inequality after divorce still leaving women behind, warns family lawyer ahead of International Women’s Day

How to Encourage Independence Safely at Every Age

Exeter Children’s Venue Alibi and St Thomas Library join forces to create a story wonderland during half-term

Devon welcomes Government drive to raise profile of fostering

Coping Strategies for Families of Alcoholics

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