This week, Sarah and Louise don’t soften a single edge.

They dismantle the government’s latest fostering “reforms” piece by piece, not the press release version, but the reality behind it. The language. The choreography. The careful tone. And what it’s really doing.

They unpack the surge of anger across the workforce, but more importantly, the shift from emotion to evidence. Foster carers aren’t just frustrated anymore. They’re informed, organised, and increasingly unwilling to be patronised. That changes the balance of power.

They ask whether the consultation is genuine or a containment measure. Whether reassurance is masking consolidation. And why a ministerial narrative that reframes fostering away from work looks less like clarity and more like strategy.

Above all, they centre the question that keeps getting edged out: what does any of this mean for the children, and for the people carrying the emotional and practical weight of their care every single day?

Because if reform feels distant from the homes where care actually happens, it isn’t renewal.

It’s control.

Contact: info@fosterwiki.com

Political Theatre, Permanent Damage | FosterWiki

Why I Turned Down the Minister | FosterWiki

Statistic check: "The IFA sector accounts for 45% of mainstream households, and since 2021, the proportion of IFA mainstream households has steadily increased. For the first time since 2021, there has been a slight increase in the number of IFA households; however, it has not been enough to offset the decline in local authority households. Between 2021 and 2025, the number of approved or newly approved mainstream local authority households has fallen by 14%." [Accredited official statistics Main findings: fostering in England 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 Published 26 November 2025]

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