Breaking News! The 3.4m funding scandal they can’t spin

This week, Sarah and Louise get into the breaking news the fostering sector really needs to talk about: the Government’s evaluation of the North East Regional Fostering Recruitment Hub, the Pathfinder meant to show everyone else how regional recruitment should work.

Except the independent evaluation found no statistically significant evidence that it actually increased recruitment compared with areas without a Hub.

So naturally… the answer appears to be more Hubs.

Sarah is furious, Louise is listening, and there’s a very large “WE TOLD YOU SO” hanging over this episode.

Then someone very influential lands on the Naughty Step. We’re not saying who just yet… but let’s just say they have a rather important role in children’s services, a 1,253-word response to the new Fostering Quality Standards, and Sarah has been reading between the lines.

There’s also a Carer Hotline dilemma about transport, school and who actually carries the practical burden when a placement doesn’t work logistically.

And we ask a rather uncomfortable question: when children say they want less professional intrusion, do we actually listen, or do we only like children having a voice when they say what we want to hear?

You probably won’t agree with everything Sarah says.

But you’ll definitely want to hear this one.

Useful Links

JOIN FOSTERWIKI TODAY https://fosterwiki.com/register/

NFCQ: http://education.nfcq.co.uk

Carer Hotline Contact Emails:

info@fosterwiki.com

louise@louise-allen.com

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. 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.

Are you a ‘Difficult’ Carer? - Speak Up for Children. Get Labelled. Get Targeted.

This week Sarah and Louise are talking about ‘difficult’ foster carers, the ones who ask awkward questions, challenge decisions and dare to advocate for children. But what happens when speaking up gets you labelled ‘difficult’? And why does that word carry rather more weight than it might appear?

We also look at the latest free school meals controversy, ask uncomfortable questions about how foster carers are represented, and explore what happens when the reality of fostering looks very different from the glossy version presented to prospective carers.

Plus, there’s the usual mix of fostering news, questionable sector language, and a trip to the Naughty Step for those who really should know better.

Useful Links

JOIN FOSTERWIKI TODAY https://fosterwiki.com/register/

NFCQ: http://education.nfcq.co.uk

Carer Hotline Contact Emails:

info@fosterwiki.com

louise@louise-allen.com

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. 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.

You're “Just” a Foster Carer & Revolving Door Failed Leadership; They Move Around. So Does the Damage.

You’re “JUST” a foster carer. A word that tells you an awful lot about how foster carers are still viewed by parts of the care system.

This week Sarah and Louise unpack the “just” that diminishes foster carers, the weaponisation of experience, and why carers are expected to behave like professionals while routinely being treated as though their knowledge, qualifications and expertise somehow count for less.

But first, we’re looking at 112 care leavers who died last year, and asking the uncomfortable question: how many more reviews do we need before someone actually changes the system that keeps producing the same outcomes?

Then we turn our attention to the revolving door of children’s services leadership. Leaders move from one authority to another, new strategies are announced, new improvement plans appear, and the language changes… but what happens to accountability when the people who made the decisions simply move on?

Plus, the Naughty Step returns with a first-ever three-way tie for some truly spectacular examples of recruitment marketing that manages to make fostering look easy, fun and apparently requiring little more than a spare room.

Useful Links

JOIN FOSTERWIKI TODAY https://fosterwiki.com/register/

NFCQ: http://education.nfcq.co.uk

Carer Hotline Contact Emails:

info@fosterwiki.com

louise@louise-allen.com

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. 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.