Foster care celebrated at Number 10

Eddie and Jim, father- and son-in-law foster carers from Bexley: 

We had the absolute honour of being invited to 10 Downing Street to discuss fostering for Foster Care Fortnight.

It was an experience we will treasure forever, from going through the police security and reaching the steps of Downing Street, to walking up the large staircase which has portraits wrapped around its walls of ex-prime ministers – including Winston Churchill. It was a fantastic experience and made us feel very proud to be foster carers. 

The house is a TARDIS, from the outside looking like a small Victorian terrace to walking into a grand hallway. The meeting was held in the Pillard Room, which was a stately room, with columns, chandeliers, gold detailed ceilings and paintings around the room – it was just incredible. To top it off, we could hear the Horse Guards band practicing outside, all whilst sitting with the Minister and Secretary of State. You can’t get more British than that.

There were around 30 foster carers who attended from around the country (Leeds, Durham, Devon, London to name a few) and the aim of the meeting was to give feedback from foster carers as well as hear how the Mockingbird initiative has worked in and around the fostering community. The Secretary of State and Children’s Minister attended and gave speeches along with a few foster carers.

It was really lovely to be able to meet other foster carers and share our fostering experiences together and discuss how well the Mockingbird initiative has worked within the fostering community.

A definite pinch yourself moment that will be ingrained in our lives and careers forever. 

Thank you so much to The Fostering Network for the invite. 

Mike, a foster carer from Brent: 

I was delighted when The Fostering Network invited me to No.10 to meet Gillian Keegan MP, the Secretary of State for Education, and Claire Coutinho MP, Minister for Children, along with foster carers from across the country. During the meeting, we had direct conversations with the Secretary of State, Minister and each other.

Although the discussion was positive, it was clear that frustration exists regarding the treatment of children in the system. I had the opportunity to express some long-held concerns, such as the need to ring-fence funds for therapy for children entering care, without having to fight for it or wait for a crisis to occur. Other topics included: 

• varying payments across different fostering services, inconsistent council tax support, and the absence of pension and holiday pay 
• the use of language, like avoiding terms such as ‘contact’ or ‘care leaver’ 
• early intervention to support families.

This meeting was the first of many in which foster carers engaged in such an environment, and I am eager for more. It was encouraging to see the Government's willingness to listen. I extend my gratitude to The Fostering Network, the team at Be-longing and to MAD4Films for all their support.

Our family have been fostering young people for over 15 years. Throughout this time, we have cared for numerous children, always striving to do our best to look after their emotional and physical wellbeing and to advocate for them so that they can achieve their personal goals. 

I wanted to create a short, child centred film which considered fostering from the perspective of the child. Be-longing was the short film I produced and happened as a direct result of working as a foster carer. The aim of the film is to help all professional working with children to better understand the need to be fully child centred in their practice.