Voices of Fostering

Voices of Fostering brought to you by National Fostering Group. Everyone’s life takes a different path. As children and young people decisions can be made for us that shape our lives forever – whether for good or bad. As adults, we have the opportunity to make our own choices. And what we choose can have a positive impact on us and the world around us. Particularly if one of those choices is fostering. When you listen to the stories of children and young people whose lives have been touched by foster carers, you start to see the impact that fostering can have. When you decide to foster, it’s hard to imagine just how big a difference you could make. Not just to the young people you foster, but rippling out into countless other lives. Your choice to foster could transform the life chances of some of the most vulnerable people in society. In this podcast, you’ll hear young people who were fostered, birth children and foster carers talking openly and candidly about their experie

Voices of Fostering is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 101 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Voices of Fostering, a society show with 101 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #11

  Julie - Fostering as a Family

  Aug 18, 202617 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Fostering , host Helen sits down with Julie, a foster carer of nearly nine years, to talk about her family's journey into fostering. Julie shares what led her and her husband to explore fostering, what the assessment process was really like, and how they've built a settled, long-term family life with a sibling group of three children since 2019. She opens up about the emotional side of fostering — including the powerful "relay race" analogy that helped her let go of guilt when those in their care move on — plus the importance of peer support, ongoing training, and looking after your own wellbeing as a carer. Julie also discusses permanency, involving her adult birth children as backup carers, and what's kept her family committed for nearly a decade. Whether you're curious about fostering or just starting to explore it, Julie's honest, heartfelt insights show that you've got nothing to lose by making that first inquiry. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here . If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk You can also follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Linkedin and YouTube

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  Episode #10

  Kathryn - Life as a Fostering Social Worker

  Aug 4, 202619 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Fostering , host Helen sits down with Kathryn , a Supervising Social Worker at the National Fostering Group with an incredible 16 years of experience in the role. Kathryn takes us through her remarkable career journey — from an unexpected turn away from teaching, to working as a house parent in children's units in the 1980s, to specializing in youth drug and alcohol services, and finally finding her calling in fostering support. She shares candid, moving stories from her early days in residential care, the lessons that shaped her approach, and what it really means to support foster carers day to day. The conversation also dives into parent-and-child fostering — a topic close to Kathryn's heart — exploring how foster families support parents (not just teenagers, but adults too) to build safe, healthy relationships with their children, and the training programs Kathryn helped pioneer that are still used today. Whether you're considering becoming a foster carer or just want to understand the dedication behind the people who support fostering families, this episode offers a heartfelt, honest look at a career built on care. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here . If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk You can also follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Linkedin and YouTube

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  Episode #8

  Stephen - Life as a Stay-Over Foster Carer

  Jul 21, 202615 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Fostering, we sit down with Stephen, a retired father of two who found an unexpected calling in stay-over foster care. After spotting an advert in a charity shop window, Stephen went from browsing to becoming an approved foster carer in just six months — and hasn't looked back since. Drawing on his own experience of being bereaved as a child and later raising his sons alone after losing his wife, Stephen shares how empathy shapes the way he welcomes every child into his home — from name plates and welcome books to matchday tickets at Turf Moor. Now having cared for over 25 children in just two years through short stays and emergency placements, Stephen opens up about building trust quickly, fitting fostering around retirement, and why he's on call any time, any day. A heartfelt conversation about resilience, flexibility, and the difference stay-over fostering can make. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here . If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk You can also follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Linkedin and YouTube

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  Episode #7

  Steve - Fostering While Working Full-Time

  Jul 14, 202617 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Fostering, we sit down with Steve, who has been fostering alongside his wife for five years while working full-time at Transport for London. Steve shares how they balance a busy household of six children with hybrid working, what it was like welcoming their first placement during the pandemic lockdown, and the moments that make it all worthwhile — from unbridled Saturday morning fun to hearing relatives mistake foster siblings for blood family. Steve opens up about the assessment process, staying open-minded about who you foster, building trust with children who've had very different life experiences, and why fostering isn't a 9-to-5 role but a lifestyle the whole family shares in. If you've ever wondered whether you can foster while keeping your career, this honest and heartwarming conversation is for you. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here . If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk You can also follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Linkedin and YouTube

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  Episode #5

  Suzanne - A First-Year Foster Carer's Story

  Jun 30, 202617 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Voices of Fostering, Helen sits down with Suzanne — a foster carer who has just celebrated her one-year anniversary. Inspired by her own mum's fostering journey, Suzanne left a 16-year career in retail management to pursue what she now calls her "calling." She opens up about: 🏠 What inspired her to become a foster carer 📋 The thorough (and sometimes nerve-wracking!) assessment and panel process 💡 How her perceptions of fostering changed in her first year ❤️ The reality of caring for children with difficult prior experiences 🤝 The power of community, training, and support through a fostering agency Whether you're considering fostering or just curious about what life as a foster carer really looks like, Suzanne's honest and heartfelt story will inspire you. If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit our website here . If you have any questions that you would like to be answered on our next episode email podcast@nfa.co.uk You can also follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Linkedin and YouTube

  ListenShow Notes

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