Progress Brought Celebration and Critical Conversation Together at Annual Foster Carers’ Conference and Awards Event
Progress brought its foster carers, residential teams, senior leaders, and corporate staff together this year for its Annual Foster Carers’ Conference and Awards, a day that combined celebration with honest reflection on the realities of fostering today.
Held as a space to connect, learn, and recognise outstanding commitment, the conference also created room for open conversations about the emotional complexity of fostering, the needs of children in care, and the shared responsibility of supporting both.
From the outset, the tone was clear. This was not only a day to applaud achievements, but to acknowledge the depth of the work foster carers do every day, often quietly and without recognition.
Throughout the day, speakers returned to a central truth. Fostering is not simply about providing a placement. It is about offering safety, consistency, and care to children who may have experienced repeated loss and instability.
During the facilitated sessions, fostering was described as a form of co-parenting. Foster carers open their homes and hearts to children, love them as their own, and walk alongside them through everyday life, while also navigating decisions that ultimately sit with local authorities and wider systems.
This emotional contradiction was openly acknowledged. Carers were recognised not only for what they do, but for what they carry. The love, the uncertainty, and the resilience required to keep showing up even when outcomes are unclear.
One of the strongest themes to emerge was the importance of recognising foster carers as experts in the lives of the children they care for. Their insight, gained through daily routines and shared moments, was repeatedly highlighted as vital to achieving stability and positive outcomes.
Understanding children and supporting foster carers
A key focus of the conference was understanding children’s behaviour in the context of their experiences. Speakers explored how behaviours often described as challenging are, in reality, expressions of fear, uncertainty, and attempts to test whether a placement will last.
Children who have experienced multiple moves often develop protective responses. They push boundaries not to reject care, but to check whether the adults around them will remain when things become difficult. This understanding reframes behaviour as communication rather than defiance, and highlights the importance of patience, consistency, and relational safety.
The sessions encouraged carers to reflect on how healing often happens in subtle ways. A child feeling safe enough to retreat to their bedroom. A calm night where nothing escalates. These moments, while easily overlooked, were recognised as meaningful progress.
There was also acknowledgement that children do not heal on timetables. Stability, when it comes, takes time. The conference emphasised the value of slowing down, building trust, and recognising that presence itself can be transformative.
Alongside discussions about children, there was a strong focus on the wellbeing of foster carers. Progress’ senior leaders spoke candidly about the emotional demands of fostering and the importance of creating a culture where carers feel supported, listened to, and able to speak openly without fear of judgement.
The message was clear. Support is not just about processes and paperwork. It is about relationships, trust, and knowing that someone has your back when decisions feel difficult or when risk feels unavoidable.
The conference highlighted that sustaining foster care depends as much on retaining carers as it does on recruiting new ones. Creating psychologically safe spaces, valuing carers’ voices, and recognising the emotional labour involved were identified as essential to keeping carers engaged and supported over the long term.
Celebrating commitment and achievement
Alongside these important conversations, the day was also a celebration. The Annual Foster Carers’ Awards recognised individuals and families who have gone above and beyond in their care, commitment, and advocacy for children.
Awards were presented to foster carers marking significant milestones in their fostering journeys, those whose dedication has made a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people. Moments of reflection, shared stories, and visible pride filled the room as carers were thanked for the impact they have made.
The conference also celebrated the wider Progress community. Residential managers, social workers, therapists, and corporate teams were recognised for the roles they play behind the scenes, supporting carers and children alike. The day reinforced the idea that fostering does not happen in isolation, but as part of a wider network working together to achieve stability and positive change.
Looking ahead together
As Progress Fostering Service continues to grow and evolve, the conference reinforced a shared vision. One that places children at the centre, values relationships over quick fixes, and recognises the people who make fostering possible. By bringing celebration and honest conversation into the same space, this year’s Annual Foster Carers’ Conference and Awards reflected Progress’ commitment to learning, to listening, and to supporting both children and the foster carers who open their homes to them.
Above all, the day served as a reminder that fostering is deeply human work. It requires courage, patience, and compassion. And it deserves recognition, respect, and sustained support.