Today we are publishing a short paper, setting out four recommendations we would like the Care Review to endorse, Foster Care: Four Recommendations for Firm Foundations. These are based on research evidence, data and, equally important, the views and feedback from our consultation with foster carers and fostering services. We want these to inform our continued dialogue with the Care Review Team as they work up the detail of their recommendations. The following post contains reflections about the Review from our Chief Executive, Kevin Williams.

For Black History Month we are highlighting the amazing work Black people involved in fostering do. We also show where foster care has to do better to make sure it is the best it can be – both for Black foster carers and Black children in care. 

First up is Judith. She is a speaker and author and the CEO and founder of The Transformed You, which delivers intervention and support mentoring programmes to care experienced people to help them transform their lives and thrive. Judith has also served on social care panels and is chair of The Black Care Experience and care experienced herself.

In blog 1 of our series, she tells us all about The Black Care Experience and the issues the Black care community has struggled with for decades.

Read blog 2 here: Enabling Black children in care to own their identity and thrive 

Read blog 3 here: Mis- and under-representation of Black people in fostering  

As part of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) awareness month, we asked developmental psychologist Dominic McSherry from Ulster University to share more about his research into FASD. Here he tells us why it is so important to continue to raise awareness and improve support for foster families caring for affected children.

Lucy Stevens is a foster carer and a recruitment and placements manager for Eastern Fostering Service. She has previously blogged for The Fostering Network about her experiences looking after a young person from Afghanistan and the asylum process. In this blog Lucy gives us an update on her and her former foster son’s situation in the light of the recent events in his home country.