Fostering Excellence Awards 2022

Karen and Davie Fordyce 

Karen and Davie were nominated by their supervising social worker who told us that they ‘are one in a million carers’. 

Karen and Davie are permanent foster carers to three children and have two children of their own. They are skilled at managing the needs of all their young people, ensuring they all have opportunities to thrive.  

Karen has provided valuable support to one of children they care for who has spent a lot of time in hospital over the last year, while Davie takes on the busy task of caring for the other four children. Together, they take every challenge in their stride. 

Karen and Danny Sherwood

Karen and Danny have been foster carers for 25 years and have a wealth of experience as well as offering a warm and nurturing home to the children and young people that stay with them. 

The couple have cared for children of different ages and from all different backgrounds, from babies who have gone on to adoption, to teenagers. They have recently become Shared Lives carers too, ensuring that the young person with them currently can stay with them into adulthood.  

Karen and Danny’s enthusiasm and commitment has inspired their daughter and granddaughter to follow in the couple’s footsteps and become foster carers too.  

Karen and Danny were nominated by their service, who said: ‘Their commitment to the children they look after, energy and motivation is outstanding and humbling.’ 

Kahina Hayouna Ounoughi and Khaled Ounoughi 

Kahina and Khaled have been fostering for five years. They had three children of their own, all under seven years old, when they started fostering, and welcomed two siblings under two to their home. They relished the challenge, and their caring abilities and commitment came sharply into focus.  

Kahina and Khaled are a shining example of what foster care is all about. Not only are they outstanding foster carers to the four siblings who now live with them long-term, but they also contribute to the fostering community.  

Kahina supports her local authority with fostering recruitment events where her passion to recruit new foster carers shines through and she has inspired several to become foster carers too.  

Learn about our headline sponsors The Mortgage Brain.

Rebecca and Peter Walsh

Rebecca and Peter foster for Bridgend Foster Care. They are exceptional foster carers who always remain focused on what is best for the children they look after.  

The couple are currently caring for a child with complex health needs, which often involves hospital appointments up to 100 miles away from home. Rebecca and Peter take this in their stride and consistently go above and beyond to meet the child’s needs.  

On top of this, Rebecca also takes time to support other carers and is very well respected in her service. Their supervising social worker told us that what makes them stand out is their can-do attitude and that they celebrate every achievement.  

Rebecca  

Rebecca is a perfect example of how much children of foster carers contribute to fostering. She approaches fostering with a positive spirit and does everything she can to help each child who comes to live with her.  

Rebecca was nominated by her mother. She said ‘Rebecca has been my absolute rock, helping me to care for and support over 20 children. She is such a wonderful asset to our fostering family.’ 

Rebecca approaches fostering with huge enthusiasm, meeting each child’s individual needs in a friendly, welcoming and optimistic manner. She has incredible empathy and goes out of her way to develop a deep understanding of the journey that each child has been on.  

Levi and Zac  

Levi and Zac’s family started fostering seven years ago and were nominated by their head of fostering. The two boys mainly welcome unaccompanied asylum-seeking children into their home.  

Levi and Zac are accepting and inclusive, always welcoming young people from different cultures. They happily share a bedroom so their family can foster.  

Despite often being much younger than those who come to stay, Levi and Zac are great at making the young people feel at ease – they also manage to overcome any language barriers quickly.  

Throughout their fostering journey, the boys have built lasting relationships with the young people coming to stay with them.  

Emilia May  

Emilia May’s family started to foster before she was born, and over the years, the 10-year-old has shared her home and her life with more than 20 children. When people ask, ‘how long have you been fostering?’ Emilia May proudly answers, ‘all my life’.  

Emilia is kind, empathetic and shares not only her belongings, home and parents freely but also her life. She really takes fostering in her stride.  

Emilia was nominated by her Mum, who said ‘she welcomes each new child to our home with the same enthusiasm and kindness, even when she knows her heart will break a little when they leave. We are immensely proud of her contribution to fostering.’ 

Hannah and Chloe  

Hannah and Chloe’s family have fostered for 14 years, and their contribution to the household is invaluable. 

They are amazing young women who are high achievers and great role models for their younger foster siblings. Hannah and Chloe are involved in all the children’s key events and take pride in their achievements. During lockdown they helped with home schooling and enabled them to make good progress, despite the challenging circumstances.  

Chloe has since moved to university, but still video calls her foster siblings every day and comes home, as much as she can. The relationships Chloe and Hannah have built is testament to the dedication and commitment the young women have shown over the years. Chloe and Hannah were nominated by their parents’ supervising social worker, who said the children are very lucky to have them in their lives.  

Aliesha and Jamie Lee  

Aliesha and Jamie Lee have grown up in a fostering family. The sisters live and breathe fostering. They are understanding and caring towards the children in their care and at hand to support whenever they need.  

They are great advocates for the children and young people that come to live with them and help their mother wherever they can. Be that by checking in with young people they look after at school to make sure they are okay, helping their confidence or promoting their independence skills.  

When their mum wanted to take another young person in who couldn’t stay on with their previous foster family, the teenagers even offered to share a bedroom, proving their dedication to helping transform other young people’s lives.  

Learn more about our Sons and Daughters Award sponsor, Williams Giles.

Fiona Fitzgerald 

Fiona has worked for Action for Children Northern Ireland since 2011. She was nominated by her manager, David Montgomery, who said: ‘Fiona is an extraordinary social worker who gives her all to ensure children can achieve the best they can.’ 

Over the years, Fiona has supported children through thick and thin. She is fully committed to achieving the best outcomes for the young people involved, which has enabled her to bring about incredible things for children and young people in foster care.  

One young person who moved in with one of Fiona’s foster carers had experienced multiple moves and dropped out of education. Fiona worked tirelessly with the foster carer, the young person and their social worker to implement a meticulously executed care plan. The result was that the young person, in their words, had the chance to experience a ‘normal life.’  

Victoria  

Victoria, who received a total of four nominations, works for Shetland Islands Council Family Placement Team and is equally loved by both her colleagues and foster carers. 

She is known for her hard work and always going the extra mile to support foster carers and the children they look after. Be that through supporting a young person with an art exhibition, or creating amazing life story books that have helped many children come to terms with their past and look to the future full of confidence and self-worth.  

Victoria’s colleagues appreciate her for her extensive knowledge she is always happy to share, and the new ideas she is implementing; foster carers cherish her for having a sympathetic ear and empathetic advice when needed. 

Colin  

Colin is a supervising social worker in Brighton and Hove City Council, and is someone foster carers can always rely on. Colin is available to provide advice and discuss issues, no matter how busy he is, and his foster carers feel appreciated, valued, understood and supported.  

By ensuring that both the children’s and the family’s voice are being heard, Colin enables the foster carers he works with to be the best possible carers to the young people they look after. His genuine interest in the children he works with means he builds strong relationships with them and their families and is perfectly placed to advocate for them.  

As the foster carer who nominated him said: ‘I am blessed and fortunate to have had Colin as my supervising social worker for many years, as he is simply the most kind and caring professional.’ 

Verna Casey 

Verna has been a social worker for 36 years. Currently a supervising social worker for Banya Family Placement Agency, Verna goes above and beyond to support her foster carers and the young people they look after.  

Verna has a special ability to make new foster carers feel safe and confident in their role. As well as providing support to the foster families she is supervising, Verna has also introduced initiatives that give young people the opportunity to share their views and be part of the community, putting children with care experience at the heart of everything she does. 

On top of her outstanding work with foster carers and young people, Verna also mentors student social workers as a practice educator and has helped many a student through their degree. 

Foster Wales 

Foster Wales, the national network of all 22 local authorities in Wales, were chosen for an award for their ‘national commitment’ and dedication. Even though they are a new team, they have already significantly contributed to improving the lives of everyone involved in foster care in Wales.  

The team at Foster Wales have worked tirelessly to shift the narrative of fostering in the country, focussed on improving recruitment and made key changes so that all local authority foster carers receive the same levels of support right across Wales.  

The team stand for good practice standards, stability and responsiveness, and encapsulate what fostering is all about: a community for making change, with children and young people at the heart of it.   

Kieran  

Kieran is 16 years old and came into care four years ago. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength.  

Kieran has built many close relationships and achieved numerous fantastic things, including earning a sports leadership award and two ASDAN awards. 

Kieran is a hard worker and has been accepted onto several college courses, got offered a job and has successfully gained one of only five places on a high profile business qualification. It’s clear why Kieran’s support worker describes him as a ‘true rising star’.   

Daniel  

Daniel’s social worker describes him as ‘an exceptional young person’ and his achievements speak volumes.  

Despite going through a difficult time last year, Daniel didn’t let this affect anything he set his sights on and instead, he demonstrated how exceptionally hard working and focussed he is, excelling in his studies. Daniel is a school prefect, mentors other students and was successful in his application to a highly competitive university.  

Outside of school, Daniel shares his experiences and was notably part of a group of young people instrumental in changing the Adoption and Children Bill in Northern Ireland. Daniel was there when the legislation was passed into law.  

Daniel is an outstanding young man, and his achievements are deservedly recognised.  

Zoe  

Coming into foster care was a challenging time for Zoe, but with perseverance, hard work and encouragement, she has achieved so much in her life already.  

Zoe is a shining example of how, when you put your mind to something, anything is possible. With the help and support of her foster carers, Zoe has siezed numerous opportunities – from an army preparation course in college, to working with the Prince’s Trust to build a career in delivering beauty treatments, training hard to gain the necessary qualifications. 

Zoe’s strong work ethic, kindness and ‘fighter’ attitude have made her foster carers incredibly proud – and she keeps adding more and more achievements to the list. 

She is currently working in Melbourne, having travelled round Asia, a dream she worked hard to achieve, working tirelessly at three jobs to fund her travelling. She is having the time of her life and has grown enormously in confidence during her year travelling. 

Chloe  

Chloe is a lovely young woman who has turned her life around in the last few years. She has just started studying Health and Social Care at sixth form and has great plans for her future.  

As well as her studies, Chloe uses her experiences to be a listening ear and pillar of support to her peers. She mentors other students in school, taking the time to offer advice and be there for them. On top of this, Chloe speaks about her experiences of care to help advocate for other young people, recently sharing her experiences with her class in an English exam.  

Chloe is a successful young woman, who engages in day-to-day life, with a smile. She has achieved so much, supported by her family who couldn’t be prouder of her. Chloe is a role model and a joy to be around.  

Charlotte  

Charlotte is an amazing young woman who is an incredible advocate for children in care, taking part in many forums to make the voice of young people in care and care leavers heard. She has also done all she can to support her fostering service, including helping with staff recruitment, training and events.  

Recently, Charlotte organised a ‘care fair’ in her local area. She wanted to bring together children in care, their carers, care leavers, and all teams and organisations in the county for a day of celebrating and activities. The day was such a success that her fostering service plan to make it an annual event, and Charlotte has already started the planning for next year.  

Charlotte was nominated by her participation worker, who said she is ‘an incredible young lady, who despite many challenges and struggles always has a smile on her face. She is a superstar!’ 

Saffrin  

Saffrin was nominated by her Mockingbird hub foster carer, who described her as a ‘wonderful young lady who plays a huge role in her foster family’. 

Before moving in with her foster carer during the pandemic, Saffrin was having a really difficult time. With her foster family’s support, Saffrin managed to turn her life around and is now a confident young woman, excelling in all areas of her life. 

Besides working hard on herself, Saffrin is also known to go above and beyond for her foster family. Even though she recently started university, she was on hand immediately when a family member had to go to hospital. Saffrin was a huge support to everyone during that time: not only did she help out with the visits, she also liaised with doctors and ensured everyone was well informed. 

Saffrin has not only managed to change her own life, she is also keen to give back to those who supported her. 

Stoke-on-Trent City Council  

Stoke-on-Trent City council have done brilliant work on Fostering Friendly this year. The scheme supports foster carers in the workplace and enables them to work alongside fostering by providing some paid time off and a Fostering Friendly HR policy. Besides having become Fostering Friendly themselves, Stoke-on-Trent City council also started to recruit others in the city to join the scheme.  

Their work has meant that over 10 organisations in Stoke have been accredited by The Fostering Network’s Fostering Friendly scheme, including Stoke City Football club, the chamber of commerce and their local NHS group. They have also encouraged their contractors to sign up to be Fostering Friendly.  

Stoke-on-Trent are not only a real inspiration to other fostering services, and have helped give them ideas they can replicate, they have also worked with businesses to identify opportunities for young people with care experience over the last year.  

By championing the Fostering Friendly scheme, Stoke have made a real difference to foster carers and those that they care for in their community.  

Paul Hunt

In June this year, Paul Hunt took on a monumental fundraising challenge for The Fostering Network. He set himself the task of climbing to Everest base camp – a 130 kilometre round trek. 

What makes this even more special is that in January 2020, Paul underwent a double lung transplant. The surgery was required after Paul was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a rare condition that predominantly affects the lungs. 

Speaking of his reasons for taking on the climb, Paul said ‘I have friends who have been fostering for years and thought what wonderful people they are. With the help of my guide Nabin, I thought “you can do this”, to help foster carers and the children they look after.’ Paul’s incredible achievement raised nearly £5,000 for The Fostering Network.