Stories
Valentine’s Day Crafts
14 February 2026
This Valentine’s Day, we set out to make something that showcased our young person’s creativity and what fostering means to her.
As a team one of our Child and Youth Care Workers along with our trainee and amazing young person, set out to create something special: handmade heart bunting using leftover materials from our Christmas project. Nothing wasted, everything reused, and every piece made with care.
We started by creating templates together and cutting out the fabric hearts. Our young person carefully chose the colours, making sure each one reflected her style and personality. Watching her take ownership of the design was such a lovely moment , it was truly her project.
Over the past few months, our young person has been building her confidence on the sewing machine, with gentle guidance and encouragement from our trainee. This time, she approached it with growing independence, focusing, adjusting, and stitching with increasing self-belief. The progress has been wonderful to see.
We decided to personalise the bunting even more by printing designs onto iron-on transfers. After cutting them out, it was time for a new challenge of using an iron. Our young person had never used one before, so this became a perfect opportunity to introduce another life skill in small, manageable steps. She was supported with the first one, talking through each stage, and then she confidently completed the rest herself.
And the result? Absolutely brilliant.
But more than that, this wasn’t just about bunting. It was about teamwork, patience and trying something new. It was about building confidence one stitch, one press, one small success at a time.
These are the moments that matter in fostering, creating safe spaces where young people can explore, learn practical life skills, express creativity, and grow in confidence.
This Valentine’s Day, we didn’t just make decorations.
We stitched together confidence, independence, and pride.
