What we can achieve by working together

Prior to our latest Fostering Live with Progress session, an attendee might have expected a simple conversation about fostering. What happened instead was the start of a bigger realisation: fostering is not one fixed route. It is a whole landscape of possibilities shaped around the very different children who need families.  Many people thought fostering...

Every year at the Progress Superstar Awards, there is one moment that feels especially personal. It is the point in the programme when our Managing Director, Claire Rogers, chooses someone whose growth, heart and quiet determination have stood out to her over the year. This is the MD’s Choice Award, and in 2025 it went...

Sometimes, the gentlest transformations happen in the smallest moments. A drive through a quiet countryside, a familiar face at the doorway, or a manager remembering what first made him fall in love with care. 2025 Progress Summer BBQ was winding down when Cosmos and Josh finally found a moment to breathe and to talk to...

Sometimes, the most important kind of support is simply being in a room with people who understand you. Parents arrived at our head office (Progress House) in Wolverhampton last Friday carrying the familiar mix of hope and unspoken resilience that often accompanies families who rely on Stourbridge House’s short breaks. But the atmosphere inside felt...

When Sue talks about the two brothers who came into her and her partner Adrian’s lives nearly ten years ago, she starts not with paperwork or planning, but with instinct. She remembers meeting the older brother for the first time and sensing something she still cannot quite name. A spark. A warmth. A boldness that...

Our very first Facebook Live event on fostering took place recently and it quickly became a warm, open and informative session. Michelle, our Fostering Manager, and Kirsty, our Relationship Manager, led the conversation. Together, they walked viewers through the essentials of fostering and answered many of the questions we are often asked by people considering...

In our latest Progress Fostering Live session, we explored a stage of the fostering journey that many people find both important and mysterious. The Form F assessment is a long, thoughtful process that prepares applicants for the realities of caring for a child who may have experienced trauma. To help make sense of it, we...

There are buildings that hold people, and then there are buildings that hold space for people. Spring Meadow is the latter, and its gentle light tells you that the moment you step inside.  The first thing you notice when you walk into Spring Meadow is the light. It pours in through the large skylights, settles...

At this year’s Progress Superstar Awards, The Smith’s Team, part of The Hub Service within Progress Adult Services, received the Supportive Colleague Award for their compassion, strength and togetherness during a truly challenging year. The award was presented by Phil McDonald, Head of Adult Services at Progress, who praised the team for the way they...

At this year’s Progress Superstar Awards, Esther was celebrated for the difference she makes every day, receiving the Workplace Mentor Award for her warmth, patience and commitment to supporting others. Esther’s colleagues describe her as the person everyone turns to for guidance and reassurance. She listens, shares her experience and helps others grow in confidence,...