Foster Care Uncovered

Culture Wars: Power, Silence and Moral Decline

This week on Foster Care Uncovered, Sarah and Louise tackle the growing culture crisis inside fostering. From Josh MacAlister’s latest social media backlash and the controversy around foster carer pay messaging, to the Government’s new Practice Guide for supporting foster carers, they ask a bigger question: why does fostering increasingly feel like a system more focused on managing narratives than listening to frontline reality? They explore the culture of fear many carers describe, and why so many feel unable to speak openly without judgment, repercussions or being shut down altogether. The episode also takes a sharp look at performative empathy, power dynamics, workplace culture, peer support, Ofsted ratings, and the growing frustration amongst carers who feel excluded from reform conversations that directly affect their lives. Plus: Foster Care Fortnight updates, listener messages, Wandsworth’s “Outstanding” rating, and plenty of the usual murky discussion along the way. A raw, honest, and thought-provoking episode about the culture carers are actually working within, not the one presented in glossy campaigns. If you'd like to chat about this episode or any of our past episodes, feel free to reach out to us at info@fosterwiki.com [info@fosterwiki.com]. We’d love to hear from you! All views shared in this podcast reflect the personal opinions of the hosts alone. They are not intended as factual assertions about any person or organisation, nor do they represent the views of any employer or professional body.

Foster Care Fortnight: Illusion, Delusion and Confusion

In this episode of Foster Care Uncovered, Louise and Sarah return with their now-notorious mix of news, commentary and uncomfortable honesty as they take on the sector’s latest headlines, contradictions and carefully polished narratives. The episode opens with news from across the fostering landscape, including shifting government messaging, growing confusion around regional reforms, and the increasingly familiar gap between official communications and frontline understanding. The now-infamous “naughty step” award was heavily contested this week, and Sarah and Louise were spoilt for choice, telling us how difficult the decision was with the ‘standard’ so high. The main focus, however, is Foster Care Fortnight itself, what it claims to be, what it has become, and what it signals about the wider culture of recognition in the sector. Beneath the events, hashtags and campaigns, the conversation asks a more difficult question: whether visibility is translating into meaningful change for foster carers, or simply a more polished version of the same structural frustrations. Expect sharp commentary, sector insight, and an unfiltered look at the language, messaging and power dynamics shaping modern fostering, and why so many carers are increasingly asking what, exactly, is being celebrated. If you'd like to chat about this episode or any of our past episodes, feel free to reach out to us at info@fosterwiki.com [info@fosterwiki.com]. We’d love to hear from you! All views shared in this podcast reflect the personal opinions of the hosts alone. They are not intended as factual assertions about any person or organisation, nor do they represent the views of any employer or professional body.

In Conversation with Rebekah Pierre: Recruitment ads, marginalisation and the illegal Homes Scandal

This week, Sarah and Louise are joined by Rebekah Pierre, Deputy Director of Article 39, care-experienced author, social worker, and one of the most important voices shaping the national conversation on children’s social care, who brings both authority and professional and lived experience to the table. Her work spans frontline practice, policy influence, and powerful storytelling, most recently through her book Free Loaves on Fridays, a landmark anthology capturing the realities of the care system through the voices of those who actually live it. As always, we start with a news roundup, and Sarah doesn’t hold back on what’s been building frustration this week. From there, the conversation moves into three areas that aren’t getting the scrutiny they deserve. First, foster carer recruitment, not just what’s being said, but how it’s being marketed, and why something about it feels increasingly off. Then, a deeper look at who was left out of the care review, and what that exclusion means for reform in practice, not just on paper. And finally, a frank discussion about unregulated and unregistered children’s homes, and why their impact is becoming impossible to ignore. This is a conversation that goes beyond the usual narratives. It’s about credibility, whose voices shape the system, and what happens when lived experience is either centred or quietly sidelined. Free Loaves on Friday by Rebekah Pierre [https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Rebekah+Pierre&text=Rebekah+Pierre&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books-uk] (Author) Free Loaves on Fridays is an anthology of stories, poems, reflections and letters by more than 100 care-experienced people, which aims to challenge worn-out stereotypes. This collection gives voice to diverse experiences, including foster care, adoption, kinship care and semi-independent living, among others. Get your copy here! [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Loaves-Fridays-System-Actually/dp/1806770431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2K04WA8UH6EZF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FZCmrPYFidH7-fLnjrnY6acBmM17zSngWaw16F1beuk.fY4hjMSLnCysrnjdm263BkdGcj6vTKBrFOfW_D-Fk-M&dib_tag=se&keywords=Free+Loaves+on+Friday&qid=1777638554&sprefix=free+loaves+on+friday%252Caps%252C192&sr=8-1] If you'd like to chat about this episode or any of our past episodes, feel free to reach out to us at info@fosterwiki.com [info@fosterwiki.com]. We’d love to hear from you! All views shared in this podcast reflect the personal opinions of the hosts alone. They are not intended as factual assertions about any person or organisation, nor do they represent the views of any employer or professional body.

Who Cares About Foster Carers?

In this episode, Sarah and Louise return after half term with a frank conversation about what’s really happening in fostering today. They start with powerful listener feedback that reflects a growing sense of recognition. For many carers, these conversations are finally putting words to experiences that have long been lived in silence. We then turn to the latest Sky documentary on allegations in fostering, and what it reveals about fear, culture, and accountability within the system, alongside the gap between public messaging and lived reality. From there, we explore a deeper question: why foster carers remain one of the least supported workforces in the system. Across mental health, illness, bereavement, menopause, men’s health, neurodiversity, and everyday family pressures, we look at what happens when expectation consistently outweighs support. At its core, this episode asks a simple but uncomfortable question: if foster carers are so essential, then why does no one look after them?. And finally… find out which Local Authority is on the naughty step this week. If you'd like to chat about this episode or any of our past episodes, feel free to reach out to us at info@fosterwiki.com [info@fosterwiki.com]. We’d love to hear from you! All views shared in this podcast reflect the personal opinions of the hosts alone. They are not intended as factual assertions about any person or organisation, nor do they represent the views of any employer or professional body.

The Truth Gets Harder: Foster Carer’s Mental Health Part 2

This week, Sarah and Louise continue the conversation on foster carers' mental health, and go even deeper into what’s really happening behind the scenes. In Part 2, they explore the systemic pressures driving stress, anxiety, and silence across the sector, from fear of allegations to the reality of job insecurity and constant scrutiny. With powerful, honest contributions from foster carers, this episode shines a light on the hidden toll of fostering and why the system itself can no longer be ignored. * 5 Top Tips for self-care and mental health, and they're not what you think [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4neWGcG3zcw] * NFCQ Foster Carers Mental Health and Wellbeing [https://education.nfcq.co.uk/nfcq-courses/foster-carers-mental-health-and-wellbeing/] * FosterWiki: Foster Carer's Mental Health [https://fosterwiki.com/wiki/foster-carers-mental-health/] If you'd like to chat about this episode or any of our past episodes, feel free to reach out to us at info@fosterwiki.com [info@fosterwiki.com]. We’d love to hear from you! All views shared in this podcast reflect the personal opinions of the hosts alone. They are not intended as factual assertions about any person or organisation, nor do they represent the views of any employer or professional body.