What we can achieve by working together

In a new series of interviews we have asked Progress foster carers why they foster care and how fostering changes lives. Jane has been caring for Fariha. This is her story. I have worked with and cared for young people with complex disabilities for over twenty years. I may be biased; but welcoming a young...

My Name is Leah Austin, I’m 50yrs old, I live alone and I have been working as a foster carer with Progress since May 2021. So, after applying to Progress I began to quickly realise that it was not just a case of applying, they assess you and you get a child. No, they guide...

We are absolutely delighted to announce that following an inspection by OFSTED in November 2021, we have been awarded the highest possible rating of ‘OUTSTANDING’. The inspectors were full of praise and noted that: “Children are cared for by carers who know them incredibly well and make exceptional progress from their starting points.” “Children have...

In a new series of interviews we will be asking Progress foster carers why they choose to foster and why despite some challenges, fostering can bring a lot of joy. Here’s Joanna’s story. “You don’t help someone to get a pat on the back. My husband and I foster because we love it. Seeing a...

It was late one evening when Sasha arrived. She was just a year-old, dressed in a pink padded coat and carried through the door. ‘She looked so scared and dirty,’ says Pauline who was there to open her heart and give her a home. Later as Pauline gently placed her in a warm bubble bath,...

  Foster carers are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Opening up your home and heart to children is not easy, but as Gail explains, it’s a rewarding experience. Gail, a foster carer, was in the kitchen when Amy received the telephone call to say she had passed her GCSEs.  Amy was a teenager who had no confidence in...

Do you have the skills to support a child that has just arrived in the UK without any parents? Are you able to support a child that has suffered persecution due to their ethnicity, religion, culture, views or spoken language? Would you be able to make a child feel safe, secure, and loved within your...

A big well done to one of our Residential Support Worker Venice Campbell, who has been collecting donations for a local mother and baby hostel and the neonatal ward at New Cross Hospital. Venice became increasingly aware of the number of perfectly-good toys going to waste and ending up in landfills every year. Working in...

Fostering is one of the most selfless and courageous things one can do; however, it can come with anxieties and common misconceptions surrounding the process. If you’re someone who has considered fostering, but has unanswered questions – you are not alone. In this blog post we take some of the most common misconceptions about fostering...