Relationships in Fostering
‘Foster Care Fortnight - Relationships in Fostering'‘!
The Power of Relationships: The Heart of Foster Care
Every May, Foster Care Fortnight shines a spotlight on the incredible work of foster parents across the UK. Organised by The Fostering Network, this annual campaign is more than just a celebration, it's a call to action, a moment to reflect, and a chance to amplify the voices of those who make fostering possible. At the heart of this year’s message, as in every year, lies one simple truth: relationships matter.
Why Relationships Are Everything
In everyday life, relationships shape who we are. Whether it's the colleague who checks in on us during a tough week, the friend who listens without judgment, or the neighbour who offers a helping hand, these connections form the fabric of our emotional wellbeing. Each of us have many different types of relationship within our own lives depending on our role at that time. For example our relationships as a parent/sibling/ aunt/son etc, will be different to our relationships as a work colleague/boss/employee etc. We ‘wear many different hats’ in our day to day lives, and as we ‘switch hats’ we switch how we approach our relationships.
For children in foster care, relationships are not just important—they are transformational. Many children enter care having experienced trauma, instability, or loss. In these moments, what they need most isn’t perfection—it’s connection. A consistent, caring adult who shows up, listens, and stays. That’s where foster parents come in. Foster parents need to balance this, with the professional relationships that come with the role, and being the strong advocate for the child.
A Foster Parent’s Story: “He Just Needed Someone to Believe in Him”
A foster parent I have previously worked with, recalled the first time she met 10-year-old *Liam. “He wouldn’t speak to me for the first week,” she says. “He’d been moved around a lot and didn’t trust adults. But I kept showing up—making his favourite breakfast, sitting with him during his favourite shows, just being there.”
It took time, but slowly, Liam began to open up. One day, after a particularly difficult day at school, he let me give him a hug. That was the moment I knew we were building something real.
Stories like these are echoed across the country. They remind us that fostering isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about consistent, compassionate relationships that help children heal and grow.
Relationships Within the System
It’s not just the bond between foster parent and child that matters. Relationships between social workers, teachers, therapists, fostering services and many more are equally important. When professionals collaborate with empathy and respect, they create a safety net that supports both the child and the foster parent.
I recently spoke to a foster parent I used to work with some years ago. She told me that she has “never had another supervising social worker like me”. I was curious about this, and she simply said “you never bullshitted us, you were always very real and didn’t make empty promises”. This was such a powerful thing for me to hear, as I have always prided myself on being totally honest with whoever I work with, as over the years I have consistently read and heard of people feeling unsupported or let down by professionals who constantly make empty promises.
Foster Care Fortnight is a timely reminder for professionals to invest in these relationships. A quick phone call to check in, being honest, and simply acknowledging foster parents’ efforts can make a world of difference.
Building a Culture of Connection
Fostering services that prioritise relationships, between foster parents, staff, and the wider community, tend to see better outcomes. Foster parents feel more supported, children feel more secure, and the entire system becomes more resilient. This is why relationships are so central to our ethos as Epic. We know that in order for foster parents to be able to meet the needs of our most traumatised children, they need to feel safe and supported in their role, be recognised as the professionals they are, and most importantly be listened to, as they are the expert on the children they are caring for.
This year, let’s use Foster Care Fortnight to ask ourselves: How can we strengthen the relationships that matter most? Whether it’s supporting someone we love, improving communication between teams at work, or simply taking time to listen—every action counts.
Final Thoughts
Relationships are the golden thread that runs through every successful fostering journey. They are the quiet moments of trust, the shared laughter, the tears, the resilience, and the hope.
As we celebrate Foster Care Fortnight, let’s celebrate the foster parents who build these bonds every day—and let’s commit, as professionals and communities, to nurturing the relationships that help children not just survive, but thrive.
Sara.
COO.