The Monmouthshire Foster Carer team helped to connect foster carers in their area by using an external Yammer network. Yammer has enabled the foster carers to support each other (including out of hours), share their views (including commenting on council policies) and feel that they are part of a community. In the video, one of the foster carers comments that “We spent three years feeling quite alone”. They didn’t really have any contact with other foster carers unless they were attending a training day. Since joining the Yammer network, she says “We actually feel very connected now”.
This example shows how facilitating connections between residents can have benefits beyond just information sharing. The network is private (you can control who signs up to an external Yammer network), so it’s a safe place for the foster carers to discuss difficult issues, and all the participants already understand the need to keep personal information private. It’s a good example of how you can network and still be careful about safeguarding.
Rewind story: fostering communication using Yammer – Monmouthshire County Council
Local social networks 